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Self-efficacy refers to the belief that people have in their abilities for success in a given task. Hope is a positive expectation of goal attainment. Self-efficacy and hope are character strengths that have direct and indirect association with mental health. The aim of present research is to explore the relationship between self-efficacy and hope with mental health among female university students. The sample comprised of 105male (45) female (60) subjects within the age range of 22 to 28 years, selected from Rohtak city on the basis of availability. The adult hope scale, General self-efficacy scale (Hindi) and Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (МНС-SF) were used to measure the hope, self-efficacy and mental health respectively. Results indicate that both self-efficacy and hope are significantly positively correlated with mental health. Regression analysis showed that predictor variables (selfefficacy and hope) are able to predict mental health. The study implicates a great importance or need to include positive psychological strengths like self-efficacy and hope in young adults to allow them to enjoy enhanced psychological well-being.
Keywords: self-efficacy, hope and mental health
Self-efficacy has been defined as the belief that one is capable of performing in a certain manner to attain a certain set of goals (Miller & Dollard, 1941). Self-efficacy beliefs determine how people feel, think, motivate themselves and behave. Such beliefs produce these diverse effects through four major processes- cognitive, motivational, affective and selection processes.
Self-efficacy, also known as perceived ability, refers to the belief people have in their abilities for success in given tasks. Individuals who possess a high degree of self-efficacy are more likely to accept challenging tasks as compared to inefficacious individuals, who usually avoid challenging tasks. For their failure, highly efficacious individuals attribute the outcome to a lack of effort or an adverse environment. For their success, they credit their achievement to their abilities. On the other side, when inefficacious individuals fail, they attribute the consequence to a lack of ability and tend to lose faith in their capabilities. If they succeed, they are more likely to attribute their success to external factors. Four factors determine selfefficacy: past performance, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological and emotional states. Self-efficacy affects every area of human endeavor, by determining the beliefs a person holds regarding his...