This pilot study examined the level of perceived competence among 95 occupational therapists practicing in mental health in New York and New Jersey. Most respondents (80%) rated their ability to perform 15 professional tasks listed on the study questionnaire as good or excellent. The remaining six tasks listed on the questionnaire received lower perceived competence scores. The findings suggest...

A longitudinal randomized trial tested the self-determination theory (SDT) intervention and process model of health behavior change for tobacco cessation (N = 1006). Adult smokers were recruited for a study of smokers' health and were assigned to intensive treatment or community care. Participants were relatively poor and undereducated. Intervention patients perceived greater autonomy support a...

In the present research, we conducted 4 studies designed to examine the hypothesis that perceived competence moderates the relation between performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals. Each study yielded supportive data, indicating that the correlation between the 2 goals is lower when perceived competence is high. This pattern was observed at the betweenand within-subject level of ana...

Purpose To examine the effects of a structured physical activity program on executive functions and perceived physical competence as compared to a traditional recess among preschool children. Methods Participants were 40 preschool children aged 4-5 from an urban child care center in a southern Chinese metropolitan area. Prior to the intervention, baseline assessments of children's executive f...

The purpose of this study was to examine adolescents' physical self-perceptions and their associations with physical activity using a longitudinal perspective. Utilizing data from the Physical Activity in Scottish Schoolchildren (PASS) study, changes in exercise self-efficacy, perceived competence, global self-esteem and physical self-worth were assessed among a sample of 641 Scottish adolescen...

BACKGROUND Efforts toward increasing participation in physical activity to prevent and treat overweight and obesity have as yet proved unsuccessful. Among the many barriers that discourage participation are weight-related stigmas. The primary purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between consciousnesses of weight-related stigma and perceived competence in physical activity. A se...

BACKGROUND Adolescents dealing with type 1 diabetes experience disruptions in affect and diabetes management that may influence their blood glucose. PURPOSE A daily diary format examined whether daily fluctuations in both negative and positive affect were associated with adolescents' perceived diabetes task competence (DTC) and blood glucose, and whether perceived DTC mediated the relationshi...