Development of a social contact self-efficacy scale for ‘third agers’ in Japan

Abstract

Background “Third agers” are people over retirement age in relatively good health; third agers make up an increasing percentage of the global population as the world’s longevity increases. Therefore, the challenge of prolonging a healthy third age and shortening the unhealthy period during the “fourth age” in the global health and social contexts is important in this process. However, no means to measure and support this has been developed as yet. We developed the Social Contact Self-Efficacy Scale for Third Agers (SET) and evaluated its reliability and validity. Methods We used a self-administered mail survey covering 2,600 randomly selected independent older adults living in Yokohama, Japan. The construct validity of the SET was determined using exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses. Its criterion-related validity was assessed using the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), the Japan Science and Technology Agency Index of Competence (JST-IC), and subjective health status. Results In total, 1,139 older adults provided responses. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified eight items within two factors: social space mobility and social support relationship. The final model had a Cronbach’s alpha 0.834, goodness-of-fit index 0.976, adjusted goodness-of-fit index 0.955, comparative fit index 0.982, and root mean square error of approximation 0.050. There was good correlation between scale scores and the GSES (r = 0.552, p < 0.001), JST-IC (r = 0.495, p < 0.001) and subjective health status (r = 0.361, p < 0.001). Conclusions The SET showed sufficient reliability and validity to assess self-efficacy in promoting social contact among third agers. This scale may help third agers in gaining and expanding opportunities for social contact, which can improve their physical health and quality of life and contribute to care prevention and healthy longevity.

Psychometric properties of ability to contribute measurements as a domain of functional ability of older persons: a COSMIN systematic review

“…Concerning the subdomain ‘Voluntary activity’, we identified items related to the skills or possibilities to perform such activities (‘I can reach out to person in need on the street’ [ 32 ] or ‘I am quick to work with others when I see a need within the community’, ‘I support the local school wherever I can’) [ 29 ] and items that focus on whether they perform such activity (‘I do volunteer to work for a charity’ [ 20 ], ‘Are you involved in volunteer work?’) [ 31 ]. It is important to consider that some items specify the type of activities.…”

“…In relation to the subdomain ‘Assisting Friends and neighbours’, the related items focus on the ability and possibilities to do so: ‘I am able to support each other with my family and others in times of need’ [ 32 ], ‘Do you listen to someone’s concerns and complaints?’ [ 17 ], ‘Talk with the people in the neighbourhood, check on condition of each other’ [ 28 ], ‘Help or support others. My chance of helping or supporting people in any way are’ [ 25 ].…”

The influence of community park characteristics on satisfaction in Guangzhou: Moderating and mediating effects analysis

“…Examples include “the park location is close to my home”, “the vegetation in the park is well-maintained”, and “this park has sufficient opportunities to exercise”. In the third section, the Social Self-Efficacy Scale developed by Oki and Tadaka [ 54 ] was used to examine the level of older adult's ability to take action to engage socially. The fourth part examines the level of older adults' intention to use the park (with a score of 1 representing not wanting to at all and a score of 5 representing wanting to do very much).…”

“… I can use the park's facilities and public services that are useful for my health. [ 54 ] Spatial Characteristics The park location is close to my home. The park location is close to public transport.…”

“…Bandura defined self-efficacy as an individual's personal beliefs about his or her ability to succeed or complete a task in a given situation, and stated that it influences behavior [ 53 ]. In the social domain, social self-efficacy specifically refers to the ability to take action to achieve the desired levels of social participation for older adults [ 54 ]. The relationship between older adults and society plays a pivotal role in their health and longevity [ 55 ].…”