SELF-CARE ACTIONS OF CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENICS ASSOCIATED WITH MEETING SOLITUDE AND SOCIAL INTERACTION SELF-CARE REQUISITES.
Contributors: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 77
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Mental Health.
Description: Nurses and other health care professionals have a need for information regarding the self-care actions of chronic schizophrenics associated with meeting solitude and social interaction requisites. However, no studies on this topic have been reported in the literature.

The purpose of this study was to focus on the self-care actions of chronic schizophrenics and specifically answer: (a) What are the self-care actions of chronic schizophrenics associated with meeting solitude and social interaction requisites, and (b) Are chronic schizophrenic clients' reported self-care actions congruent with Orem's (1985) sets of actions for maintenance of a balance between solitude and social interaction? This objective was accomplished through interviewing 10 chronic schizophrenics located in inpatient treatment settings, transcribing the interview tapes, analyzing the content of the interviews, establishing lists of solitude and social interaction self-care actions, and analyzing the solitude and social interaction self-care actions for congruence with Orem's sets of actions for maintenance of a balance between solitude and social interaction.

Analysis of the data revealed 18 self-care actions associated with meeting solitude requisites and 10 self-care actions associated with meeting social interaction requisites. The solitude self-care actions clustered around two distinct categories: distancing and organizing. One social interaction category was apparent to the researcher: managing situations. Analysis of the self-care actions for congruence with Orem's (1985) sets of actions for maintenance of a balance between solitude and social interaction revealed that 2 of 18 solitude self-care actions were congruent and all 10 of the social interaction self-care actions were congruent.

It was recommended that the present study be replicated with chronic schizophrenic clients across the lifespan who are located in inpatient treatment settings, residential treatment settings, and independent living sites. Further, additional research to isolate conditions that are related to Orem's (1985) sets of actions for maintenance of a balance between solitude and social interaction also was recommended.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-09, Section: B, page: 3920.

Thesis (D.S.N.)--UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, 1989.

School code: 0005.