Self-efficacy and COVID-19 prevention behaviour among adolescents: A cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT

Introduction: COVID-19 has become a serious epidemic in Indonesia, even in the corners of the earth. Every day COVID-19 patients continue to increase, and almost all circles of society are exposed to the virus regardless of age and gender. In dealing with conditions such as the current pandemic, it is necessary to have self-efficacy in good adolescent prevention practices. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between self-efficacy and the practice of preventing COVID-19 in adolescents. M ethods A descriptive correlational study was conducted among 232 senior high school students in Lumajang, Indonesia. Quota sampling was used to recruit the respondents. The data were collected using general self-efficacy and COVID-19 preventive behaviour among adolescents. The univariate analyses in the form of frequency and percentage. Furthermore, bivariate analyses with the Spearman Correlation Test were performed for data analysis. Results: The results of this study indicate that the majority of Persatuan Guru Republik Indonesia (Indonesian Teacher's Union of the Republic of Indonesia) (PGRI) high school students' self-efficacy levels are in the moderate category, with a total of 120 (51.7 %), while most COVID-19 prevention practices are 129 respondents (55.6 %). The results of the Spearman correlation test show a positive relationship between self-efficacy and the practice of preventing COVID-19, as evidenced by a significant value of 0.0001 (p<0.05) and a correlation value of 0.903. The strength of relationship in this study is strong. Conclusion: High self-efficacy can affect prevention practices that can be done well because the higher self-efficacy, the person could act with confidence and be more careful in acting, for example, such as carrying out preventive practices to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Strategies to improve self-efficacy may be beneficial in increasing positive behaviour toward COVID-19. © 2022 Academia Nacional de Medicina. All rights reserved.