Validating a measure of self-efficacy for life tasks in male OEF/OIF veterans

This paper describes the development and preliminary validation of a scale to assess perceived self-efficacy to complete culturally and age-appropriate life tasks (Self-Efficacy for Life Tasks, or SELT) among male veterans of Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom; OEF) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom; OIF). The SELT scale was developed for this population in a multistage process that included: 1) semistructured interviews inquiring about expectations of self among OEF/OIF veterans; 2) content analysis to inductively derive a list of priority life tasks; 3) item development; 4) field-testing; and 5) preliminary instrument validation. Forty-one veterans completed the final instrument along with measures of anxiety and depression symptoms, positive and negative social support, and postdeployment life stressors. We tested two scoring methods, one using a simple mean and one a weighted mean. Using either scoring method, SELT had statistically significant negative correlations with anxiety, depression, and being separated from partner, as well as strong positive correlations with postdeployment social support. These findings support the construct validity of the SELT scale in the population of male OEF/OIF veterans. Future research examining the relationship between SELT and long-term outcomes using longitudinal designs will be needed to assess predictive validity.