[General self-efficacy scale validation in Chile].

BACKGROUND

Self efficacy refers to an individuals belief in his or her capability to produce given achievements and the individuals perception of his or her ability to perform an action.

AIM

To evaluate the psychometric properties of the General Self-efficacy Scale in Chilean population.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study was carried out in 360 subjects, both sexes, 15-65 years of age, from Concepción, Chile, who answered Self-efficacy, Self-esteem and Health Status Perception instruments. Reliability was verified by Cronbachs alpha coefficient and validity by expert re-vision, univariate statistics, correlations among items, item-scale correlations, and correlations with Self-esteem and Perception of Health Status constructs.

RESULTS

The structure of the scale is uni-dimensional, homogenous and positively related with the constructs examined.

CONCLUSIONS

The General Self-efficacy Scale is a reliable and valid measure of the perception of self-efficacy in the Chilean population.