Abstract
The strongest source of self-efficacy (SE) information is overt mastery experiences (Bandura, 1997). In many rehabilitation settings, the first exercise experience a patient encounters is the exercise tolerance test. The influence of such a test on a patient's SE for subsequent exercise is unknown. Furthermore, there is an opportunity to test the theoretical specificity of three proposed sub-types of SE. Overt performance of exercise should more strongly influence task SE compared to scheduling or coping.
Nineteen (n=12 men, 7 women, mean age = 64.55 years) initiate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients participated in one cycle and one treadmill exercise tolerance test (in random order) prior to beginning rehabilitation. There were no effects of modality or sex. There was a significant main effect for time (pre-post test), Eta2=.57, SE type, Eta2=.49, with the largest influence on Task SE, a significant effect of test (first vs. second), Eta2=.25 with the first test having the largest effect.
The results show that an exercise tolerance test has an important influence on exercise SE in COPD patients, and that the effects are strongest for task SE reinforcing the theoretical distinction of task, coping and scheduling SE.
