Self-efficacy expectations predict survival for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The validity of self-efficacy expectations as predictors of mortality was evaluated for 119 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients completed 4 physiological measures that represent common clinical indicators of disease severity: (a) forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1.0), (b) arterial blood gas measurement of resting partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), (c) single-breath diffusing capacity (DLCO), and (d) maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) during exercise. In addition, self-reported self-efficacy expectation for walking on a treadmill was measured. Self-efficacy was a significant univariate predictor of 5-year survival. However, when controlling for FEV1.0 in multivariate survival analysis, self-efficacy had only a marginal effect. We concluded that simple self-report scales could provide significant information about health status.