Adolescents with Sickle Cell Disease: Self-Efficacy as a Factor in Readiness to Transition from Pediatric to Adult Medical Care

Adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) must develop self-efficacy and disease-management skills to transition successfully to adult medical care. This quantitative study explored whether self-efficacy, age, and gender were predictive of transition readiness of adolescents with SCD from pediatric to adult medical care. Eighty-seven individuals with SCD between the ages of 14 and 25 years completed an interview survey composed of demographic items, the Sickle Cell Self-Efficacy Scale (SCSES), and the Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire 4.1 (TRAQ 4.1). The regression analysis indicated that self-efficacy, gender, and age were statistically significant predictors of transition readiness. The adjusted R[superscript 2] suggested that 38% of the variability in transition readiness could be predicted by the linear combination of these variables. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]