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ABSTRACT
The present study investigated the influence of self-efficacy on depression, anxiety and stress among Indian and Iranian students studying at University of Mysore. The data were collected from 160 students (80 Indian and 80 Iranian) studying in post-graduate and Ph.D. degree programs from different departments of University of Mysore. The student s groups composed of 40 male and 40 female students from Iran, and 40 male and 40 female students from India. Self-efficacy scale developed by Mathias Jerusalem and Rolf Schwazer (1995) was employed. To assess depression, anxiety and stress the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) by Lovibond and Lovibond (1995) was used. MANOVA was employed to find out the difference between students with low, medium and high self-efficacy levels along with country. Results revealed that students with low self-efficacy had higher depression, anxiety and stress and Indian students had higher depression, anxiety and stress compared to Iranian students. Implications for the study were also been discussed.
Key Words: Self-efficacy, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Indian and Iranian Students.
INTRODUCTION
Self-efficacy is a judgment of one's own ability to perform novel and to do difficult tasks or cope with hardship. Strong sense of self-efficacy is essential for people to be both mentally healthy and socially successful, because not having this attitude may lead in stress, depression, anxiety, and helplessness (Bandura, 1997; Schwarzer & Scholz, 2000; Sander & Sanders, 2003).
The self-efficacy theory have been used to explain and predict human traits in different domains including health behavior (Ah, Ebert, Ngamvitro, Park, & Kang, 2004), personal performance (Cartoni, Minganti, & Zelli, 2005), and an individual's cognitive ability (Maples & Luzzo, 2005).
Self-efficacy works through cognitive motivational, affective and selection processes to furnish a sense of being in control of the circumstances and, perhaps most probably, to produce personal fulfillment and decrease stress, anxiety and depression. Bandura explained that self-efficacy can be acquired in four ways. It can be obtained via mastery experience (mastering a task or skill); vicarious experiences (seeing one's peers succeed, and the stronger the similarity in peers, the stronger the impact on selfefficacy); social persuasion (being verbally persuaded that one possesses the capabilities to succeed); and the physical and emotional states experienced while engaged in the activity or task (the better one...