Autoeficácia em idosos comunitários

Abstract

Although there is a biological process of decline in aging, its expression may vary according to the individual's subjective characteristics, among which is the sense of self-efficacy. Self- efficacy (SE) is a construct of Social Cognitive Theory developed by Albert Bandura in the 70's. It determines how people feel, think, motivate and behave through cognitive, motivational, affective and selective processes and expresses how much a person is encouraged to act or persist in the face of a difficult task. In the elderly, specifically, it is observed that it has an important role in mitigating the impact of losses, acting as a protective resource in aging. Given the importance of SE for the maintenance of healthy habits and outcomes in old age, it is necessary to understand how it presents itself in this period of life. In addition, it is important to investigate what can affect it, considering the losses and gains associated with aging. In order to clarify these aspects, the present dissertation describes studies conducted that generated two manuscripts: the first of an integrative review to identify longitudinal studies that investigated the variable SE as an outcome, and the second empirical referring to a descriptive cross- sectional study with a sample of community dwelling elderly that sought to verify the correlation between SE and biopsychosocial factors. The results of the review showed that socioeconomic variables, physical condition and subjective perceptions of physical barriers generate effects on the SE of the elderly. The empirical study brought evidence that the social, physical and psychological dimensions were related to SE. The findings of the dissertation indicate an overview of potential risk factors for decreased SE, as well as conditions that are favorable to it. Knowing SE allows advancing in explanatory models, research proposals and health interventions with a view to promoting healthy aging.