Self-efficacy and its sociodemographic factors in nursing students at a South American higher education institution

Introduction: Self-efficacy, understood as the belief in one's own ability to face and overcome challenges, plays a fundamental role in the academic performance and personal well-being of university students, especially in areas such as nursing that demand high levels of commitment and resilience. Identifying the level of self-efficacy and its relationship with sociodemographic factors allows for a better understanding of students' needs and strengths, as well as guiding effective educational interventions. Objective: To determine the level of self-efficacy of nursing students and its sociodemographic factors. Methodology: This is a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study with 270 students who completed a sociodemographic form and the Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale developed by Jerusalem M & Schwarzer R (1981). Participants were included using a simple random stratified method. A descriptive analysis was performed. The variables on the quantitative measurement scale are described as absolute and relative frequencies together with their 95% confidence intervals. To verify the distribution of the variables, the Shapiro-Will test was used. Results: The participants had an average age of 22, 81% were women, 53% of the students surveyed had a high level of self-efficacy, and only 4% had a low level of self-efficacy. Conclusions: Having a high level of self-efficacy is a strong predictor of academic success.