**3. Results**

The study included 250 women with PCOS. Most respondents were women aged 26–35 years (43.20%), lived in urban: Province capital (38.40%), married (64.40%), college/university-educated (59.60%), professionally active (77.20%), who viewed their socio-economic standing as satisfactory (62.40%), had no children (53.20%), mean BMI 26.41, and had been diagnosed with PCOS 1 to 5 years before (50.40%) (Table 1).

Table 2 shows the mean scores for generalized self-efficacy (28.74 ± 5.16), dispositional optimism (13.56 ± 4.28), and acceptance of illness (27.90 ± 7.74).

The regression model for variables generalized self-efficacy (GSES) is shown in Table 3. The regression model that was developed accounts for 18.8% of variance for the GSES variable (*F*(15.234) = 4.834; *p* < 0.001). Statistically significant predictors for the GSES regression model included residence—urban: Other (*β* = −0.140; *p* = 0.033), education—primary/vocational (*β* = −0.137; *p* = 0.033), socio-economic standing (*β* = 0.275; *p* = 0.001), BMI (*β* = −0.152; *p* = 0.012) and time from PCOS diagnosis—1–5 years (*β* = −0.233; *p* = 0.010) and 6–10 years (*β* = −0.197; *p* = 0.023). Living in a city other than a province capital, having finished one's education at the primary/vocational level, having a higher BMI, and a 1 to 10 years from PCOS diagnosis (1–5 and 6–10 years) were all associated with a lower sense of self-efficacy in the women studied. Better socio-economic status predicted a stronger sense of self-efficacy.



**Table 2.** Mean scores for generalized self-efficacy (GSES), dispositional optimism (LOT-R), and illness acceptance (AIS) in the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients studied.




**Table 3.** Regression model for variables GSES.

Table 4 shows regression model for variables LOT-R. The model was found to fit the data well (*F*(15.234) = 2.427; *p* = 0.003), while it only accounted for 7.9% of variance in the LOT-R variable. For the LOT-R variable, the only statistically significant variable was socio-economic standing (*β* = 0.259; *p* = 0.001)—the better the socio-economic status, the higher the optimism score.



The regression model for AIS is shown in Table 5. This regression model accounts for 20.7% of variance for the AIS variable (*F*(115.234) = 5.340; *p* < 0.001). For the AIS variable model, statistically significant predictors included residence—urban: Other (*β* = −0.134; *p* = 0.037), socio-economic standing (*β* = 0.335; *p* = 0.001), and time from PCOS diagnosis—1–5 years (*β* = −0.263; *p* = 0.003). Living in a city other than a province capital and time from PCOS diagnosis between 1 and 5 years were associated with poorer acceptance of illness by the PCOS patients studied, while better socio-economic standing predicted more PCOS acceptance.

**Table 5.** Regression model for variables AIS.


Statistical analyses showed significant positive correlations between generalized self-efficacy on the one hand, and dispositional optimism and illness acceptance on the other, as well as between dispositional optimism and illness acceptance (*p* < 0.001). The strength of correlations was rated between 0.434 and 0.610 (Table 6).


**Table 6.** Correlations between GSES, LOT-R, and AIS in the PCOS patients studied.

GSES—generalized self-efficacy; LOT-R—dispositional optimism; AIS—illness acceptance.
