TY - JOUR
T1 - Self-efficacy as a component of active coping
T2 - Effects on cardiovascular reactivity
AU - Gerin, William
AU - Litt, Mark D.
AU - Deich, James
AU - Pickering, Thomas G.
N1 - Funding Information:
* Cornell University Medical College, New York Hospital. iThe University of Connecticut Health Center. $ Department of Psychology, Barnard College, Columbia University. These studies were conducted at the Department of Psychology, Barnard College, Columbia University. Preparation of this article was supported in part by National Institutes of Health Grant HL 48240, awarded to Dr. William Gerin, Principal Investigator. Address correspondence to: William Gerin, Ph.D., Hypertension Center/Starr Pavilion ST405, Cornell University Medical College-New York Hospital, 525 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10021; E-mail: wgerin@m ed .cornell.edu.
PY - 1996/5
Y1 - 1996/5
N2 - Active coping remains a poorly understood construct in cardiovascular reactivity testing. We have shown that active coping comprises two independent effects: the enhanced control and the effort of exercising control. The present study tested the proposition that, with effort left unconstrained, increased self-efficacy will increase cardiovascular response. Forty women were assigned to low or high self-efficacy conditions; self-efficacy was manipulated using false feedback. Subjects then engaged in a video game shape-matching task, while blood pressure and heart rate were monitored. SBP and DBP changes were smaller in the low self-efficacy group, as predicted: 17.9 versus 25.2 mmHG for SBP (p<0.05); and 8.7 versus 13.0 mmHG for DBP (p = 0.07). Heart rate was similar for the two conditions. We conclude that self-efficacy for a task may be an integral part of the active coping process, indirectly affecting the blood pressure response by acting on the effort involved in the coping response.
AB - Active coping remains a poorly understood construct in cardiovascular reactivity testing. We have shown that active coping comprises two independent effects: the enhanced control and the effort of exercising control. The present study tested the proposition that, with effort left unconstrained, increased self-efficacy will increase cardiovascular response. Forty women were assigned to low or high self-efficacy conditions; self-efficacy was manipulated using false feedback. Subjects then engaged in a video game shape-matching task, while blood pressure and heart rate were monitored. SBP and DBP changes were smaller in the low self-efficacy group, as predicted: 17.9 versus 25.2 mmHG for SBP (p<0.05); and 8.7 versus 13.0 mmHG for DBP (p = 0.07). Heart rate was similar for the two conditions. We conclude that self-efficacy for a task may be an integral part of the active coping process, indirectly affecting the blood pressure response by acting on the effort involved in the coping response.
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U2 - 10.1016/0022-3999(95)00642-7
DO - 10.1016/0022-3999(95)00642-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 8803857
AN - SCOPUS:0029882953
VL - 40
SP - 485
EP - 493
JO - Journal of Psychosomatic Research
JF - Journal of Psychosomatic Research
SN - 0022-3999
IS - 5
ER -
