Abstract
•This scoping review included all relevant primary studies irrespective of the study method or design.•Caring self-efficacy was most often described by direct care workers in aged care as their capacity to deal with difficult situations.•High caring self-efficacy of direct care workers was found across studies.•Job-related intrinsic and extrinsic factors influenced the self-efficacy of direct care workers in caring for older residents. This finding highlights an opportunity for aged care providers to intervene to improve direct care workers’ self-efficacy.•A gap in the literature was identified regarding the conceptual understanding of caring self-efficacy from the aged care workers’ perspective.•Despite the significant presence of culturally diverse direct care workers in residential aged care facilities, the influence of cultural diversity on caring self-efficacy was not explored in the literature.
The caring self-efficacy of direct care workers in residential aged care has been explored in the literature mostly as a predictor rather than the focus of interest. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of the existing literature on aged care workers’ caring self-efficacy and factors that influence it. A systematic search was performed in six electronic databases. All primary studies were included. A total of 41 studies met the inclusion criteria. Caring self-efficacy was most often described by aged care workers as their capacity to deal with difficult situations. The self-efficacy scores of direct care workers were high across studies. Self-efficacy was positively influenced by access to resources, relationships with residents and their families, the support of supervisors and co-workers, job satisfaction, and training opportunities, and negatively affected by work pressure and burnout. Findings indicate possible avenues for intervention to improve direct care workers’ self-efficacy in aged care.