The Role of Self–efficacy in Recovery from Serious Psychiatric Disabilities: A Qualitative Study with Fifteen Psychiatric Survivors

This qualitative analysis applied the theory of self–efficacy to results from a study that used grounded theory to identify the factors that influenced the recoveries of 15 psychiatric survivors. Participants identified the development of a more competent and efficacious sense of self as a central aspect contributing to their recoveries. Analysis also revealed four factors related to this development: meaningful activities, supportive professional relationships, peer-support and choice among a variety of treatment alternatives. Participants' description of the recovery process and how they were able to develop a competent sense of self, possessed several parallels with Bandura's social cognitive theory of self–efficacy. This article argues that self–efficacy may provide practitioners with a useful guide for creating the contexts that facilitate the recovery process. Implications for practice and research will be explored.

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