Associations between self-efficacy to occupational activities and interests in adolescents / Associações entre auto-eficácia para atividades ocupacionais e interesses em adolescentes

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the association between self-efficacy for occupational activities and its sources and interest, which are important constructs for Vocational Guidance. Two hundred eighty nine adolescents answered the Self-efficacy Scale for Occupational Activities (SSOA) and the Self-Directed Search, and 107 answered the SSOA and the Professional Counseling Scale. All participants lived in São Paulo at the moment of the survey. There were significant correlations between self-efficacy and interests (r ranging from -0.25 to 0.27). Realistic and Social self-efficacy combined with gender showed a significant predictive power to their respective types of interest. We discussed the coherence between self-efficacy for occupational activities and their respective interests.