The Mediating Role of Emotional Self-Efficacy in the Relationship Between the Number of Medications and Psychological Distress Among Older Adults with Chronic Illness

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to examine the associations between the number of medications, emotional self-efficacy, and psychological distress in older adults with chronic illness. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 191 older adults in Anhui, China. METHODS: Those participants completed a structured questionnaire that included sociodemographic data, medications, emotional self-efficacy, and psychological distress status. Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the correlation between study variables. The bootstrap method was employed to analyze the mediating role of emotional self-efficacy. FINDINGS: The results showed that 10.5% and 14.1% of the participants might be experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed that emotional self-efficacy was negatively correlated with anxiety and depression. The results showed that emotional self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between the number of medications and depression, accounting for 51.9% of the total effect. Additionally, emotional self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between the number of medications and anxiety, accounting for 50.8% of the total effect. However, a suppressor effect was established for the relationship between the number of medications and polypharmacy-related psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested that emotional self-efficacy might play an important role in the relationship between the number of medications and psychological distress in Chinese older adults with chronic illness.