The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Quality of Life Among Elderly People

Objectives Self-Efficacy is an important variable in the field of elderly, to which little attention has been paid. Quality of Life (QoL) is also one of the most important factors of human development. This study aimed to determine and investigate the relationship between self-efficacy and QoL among elders residing in Tehran nursing homes in 2015.
Methods & Materials In this cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study, the statistical population comprised the residents of nursing homes, especially catering to the elderly, in Tehran. The sample size was 210 individuals, who were selected based on the research criteria. For the elderly people residing in elderly care centers, quota random sampling was performed, and random sampling in each nursing home was made proportionate to the number of elderly residents therein. General self-efficacy scale (GSE-10), elderly quality of life questionnaire (LIPAD), and demographic questionnaire were utilized to collect data. The tools were investigated in terms of reliability. The elderly residents’ average (SD) age was 78.66 (11.78) years. After sampling and gathering the questionnaires, the collected data were entered into SPSS Version18, and analyzed with descriptive indexes and analytic tests, including frequency, mean, standard deviation, Chi-square test, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, ANOVA, and independent t test.
Results The findings showed that the mean (SD) score of self-efficacy among the elder residents of Tehran nursing homes was 17.68 (4.00), and the mean (SD) score of QoL was 27.88 (9.80). There is no significant correlation between self-efficacy and demographic characteristics such as age, sex, or marital status, but there was a significant correlation between the education level (P=0.042) and self-efficacy. There also happened to be a significant correlation between QoL, and age (P=0.047) and education level (P=0.038). Again, there was no significant correlation between QoL, and sex and marital status. In this particular research, the confidence level was considered as 95%.
Conclusion According to the results of the study, self-efficacy of residential elderlies and their quality of life was low. Increase in self-efficacy among the elderly residents of the nursing homes led to a rise in their QoL.