PERCEIVED LOSS OF CONTROL IN ACUTE HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS UTILIZING THE WORTMAN-BREHM MODEL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL REACTANCE AND LEARNED HELPLESSNESS.
Contributors: Boston University.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 192
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: Wortman-Brehm Model was used to examine the relationship between loss of control, importance of outcome, and expectancy of control with Psychological Reactance and Learned Helplessness in the acute hospital setting. A convenience sample of 49 subjects admitted to three hospitals for cholecystectomy surgery completed a questionnaire measuring importance of activities of daily living and treatment activities on day of admission. On day six of hospitalization subjects completed three questionnaires that measured perception of loss of control and expectancy of control over these activities and affects of hostility and depression. Nurses assigned to the subjects, were also interviewed to assess learned helplessness and psychological reactance type behaviors observed in the subjects.

Five relationships were tested using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient: Perceived loss of control over important activities of daily living and treatment activities and behavioral responses (psychological reactance and learned helplessness type behaviors), perceived loss of control over important activities of daily living and treatment activities that the individual expect to control and psychological reactance type behavior and hostility, perceived loss of control over important activities of daily living and treatment activities that the individual expect not to control and learned helplessness type behavior and depression.

Findings revealed no correlations between variables and therefore did not support the existence of relationships as predicted by the theoretical model tested (Wortman-Brehm).

The institution of prospective payment had a major impact by altering the length of stay for many of the subjects in the latter half of the study time frame. Therefore, subjects were divided into pre and post prospective payment groups. The pre prospective payment group had significantly higher psychological reactance type behavior scores and behavioral response scores than the post prospective payment group. Examination of other variables yielded no statistically significant difference.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-06, Section: B, page: 1639.

Thesis (DNS)--BOSTON UNIVERSITY, 1987.

School code: 0017.