The Mediating Role of Dispositional Optimism in the Relationship between Health Locus of Control and Self-Efficacy in Pregnant Women at Risk of Preterm Delivery

Iwona Niewiadomska, Agnieszka Bień, Ewa Rzońca and Krzysztof Jurek
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Iwona Niewiadomska: Department of Social Psychoprevention, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Agnieszka Bień: Chair of Obstetrics Development, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, 4/6 Staszica St., 20-081 Lublin, Poland
Ewa Rzońca: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Didactics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Warsaw, 14/16 Litewska St., 00-575 Warsaw, Poland
Krzysztof Jurek: Institute of Sociological Sciences, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-13

Abstract: Difficult situations during pregnancy, such as threatened preterm labor, trigger negative experiences in women. The levels of stress experienced and the way individuals cope with it depend on their personal resources, such as optimism, internal health locus of control, and self-efficacy, among other factors. The purpose of this paper was to determine the role of dispositional optimism in the relationship between health locus of control and self-efficacy in pregnant women with threatened preterm labor. Dispositional optimism plays the role of mediator in relationships between: (1) internal health control and self-efficacy; and (2) impact of random events on one’s health and self-efficacy. Dispositional optimism does not mediate the relationship between the perceived impact of others on one’s health and self-efficacy. For women with a high-risk pregnancy, dispositional optimism is a significant resource for coping with the problems they encounter. It changes the direction (from negative to positive) of the association between experiencing the impact of external factors (random events) on one’s health and perceived self-efficacy. It prevents the cycle of loss caused by the interpretation of random events as having an impact on one’s health, and acts as a mediator to initiate a cycle of gains that leads to greater perceived self-efficacy. Optimistic pregnant women maintain a positive outlook, even when confronted with difficult, negative experiences such as threatened preterm labor.

Keywords: pregnancy; threatened preterm labor; dispositional optimism; self-efficacy; health control; personal resources; conservation of resources (COR) theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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