General Self-Efficacy

Method
Design
The experiment was a quantitative, within participants, standard multiple regression design. The independent variable was the attachment score, and the dependant variable was general self-efficacy. Other demographic variables were measured which could affect general self-efficacy.
Participants
118 participants took part in the study, including students from Middlesex University, family, friends and acquaintances of the researcher and supervisor. After data reduction, 8 participants were rejected because of missing data; the final sample therefore consisted of 110 participants, 68 of whom were female and 42 male, ranging in age from 18 to 51 years (M = 26.4, SD =8.1).
Figure 1: Overall percentage of ethnic backgrounds within data

They were asked to answer 18 statements in regards to how they generally feel about close relationships using a five-point Likert scale ranging from ‘not at all characteristic of me’ to ‘very characteristic of me’. According to the measure the statements are used to determine adult attachment styles; “close”, “dependant”, and “anxious.” They were advised to closely consider past relationships with their parent(s) and people that were around them while growing up. Examples of statements

Participants were asked to use a four-point Likert scale ranging from ‘not true at all’ to ‘exactly true’ to answer the 10 statements given.
Examples of the statement given are “It is easy for me to stick to my aims and accomplish my goals,” and “I can solve most problems if I invest the necessary effort.” High scores on these statements reveal higher levels of general self-efficacy.
Psychometric evidence supports Schwarzer and Jerusalem’s (1979) general self-efficacy scale, as Scholz et al (2002) states that the internal consistency coefficients for an array of samples and countries have ranged between alpha = .75 to.91. The scale has been proven to be reliable across countries, as well as proving to be valid in terms of convergent validity. For example, it correlates positively with self-esteem and optimism, and negatively with anxiety, depression, and physical symptoms (Schwarzer, 1993).
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