The effect of self-efficacy, health-related quality of life, psychological distress, and age on transition readiness in adolescents and young adults with chronic health conditions.

OBJECTIVE

More children with chronic health conditions are surviving into adulthood and transitioning to adult healthcare settings. To reduce poor healthcare transition outcomes, it is essential to consider predictors of readiness to transition. The current study examined whether youth-reported self-efficacy, health-related quality of life, and psychological distress were associated with parent/caregiver-reported transition readiness in a sample of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) who had at least one chronic physical or mental health condition.

METHODS

The sample comprised 58 AYAs (Mage = 17.74 years, SDage = 2.56, 51% assigned female at birth) and 58 parents/caregivers (Mage = 50.32 years, SDage = 7.73, 53% assigned female at birth).

RESULTS

Self-efficacy was an important moderator of transition readiness for many groups of AYAs. Additionally, it was found that for older AYAs with lower psychological distress, transition readiness was significantly higher for those with higher health-related quality of life than those with lower health-related quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

The relationship between self-efficacy and transition readiness was found to be nuanced. Self-efficacy may be a suitable target for interventions designed to improve transition readiness for several AYAs with chronic health and mental health conditions.