Self-Efficacy as a Predictor of Self-Reported Physical, Cognitive, and Social Functioning in Multiple Sclerosis

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether self-efficacy is associated with physical, cognitive, and social functioning in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) when controlling for disease-related characteristics and depressive symptomatology. Method: Study subjects were 81 individuals between the ages of 29 and 67 with a diagnosis of clinically definite MS. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between self-efficacy and self-reported physical, cognitive, and social functioning. Results: Self-efficacy is a significant predictor of self-reported physical, cognitive, and social functioning in MS after controlling for variance due to disease-related factors and depressive symptomatology. Conclusions: Self-efficacy plays a significant role in individual adjustment to MS across multiple areas of functional outcome beyond that which is accounted for by disease-related variables and symptoms of depression.