INFLUENCE OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS' BASIC CONDITIONING FACTORS, AND SELF-CARE AGENCY ON UNMARRIED TEENAGE PRIMIPARAS' ENGAGEMENT IN CONTRACEPTIVE PRACTICE.
Contributors: Case Western Reserve University.
Published: 1994
Number of pages: 120
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Sociology, Individual and Family Studies.; Education, Health.
Description: The main focus of community health nursing is promotion of health of individuals, families, subgroups and communities. One of the major objectives of community health nursing to facilitate engagement in contraceptive practice to prevent repeated pregnancies among unmarried teenage primiparas. Studies document association of prematurity, low birth weight, perinatal mortality, infant mortality, and child abuse with repeated pregnancies in that subgroup. Evidence indicates that unmarried teenage primiparas do not engage in contraceptive practice leading to repeated pregnancies within a year or two.

There is lack, and inconsistency of information about factors that explain unmarried teenage primiparas' engagement in contraceptive practice. A health promotion model derived from Orem's self-care deficit theory suggests important concepts, and potential linkages of factors that may influence the unmarried teenage primiparas' engagement in contraceptive practice. The self-care deficit theory states that basic conditioning factors influence self-care agency, and self-care, and that self-care agency is necessary for self-care. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship among emotional support from family and friends' basic conditioning factors, self-care agency, and engagement in contraceptive practice.

A cross-sectional survey design using a random sample of 75 unmarried primiparas 18 years and younger was used to examine the factors that might influence engagement in contraceptive practice. Instruments were: Perceived Social Support from Family scale (Procidano & Heller, 1983); Perceived Social Support from Friends scale (Procidano & Heller, 1983); Exercise of Self-care Agency scale (Kearney & Fleischer, 1979); Contraceptive Practice Questionnaire developed by the investigator, and based on previous studies (Galavotti, 1987; Galavotti & Lovick, 1989).

Using multiple regression analysis, both emotional support from family, and emotional support from friends had direct positive effect on self-care agency. Using logistic regression analysis, emotional support from family, emotional support from friends, and self-care agency did not have a significant effect on engagement in contraceptive practice. The results suggest that community health nurses should consider the influence of family and friends on self-care agency but have to be cautious with regards to the influence of family, friends, and self-care agency on engagement in contraceptive practice. The results partially supported Orem's model.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-12, Section: B, page: 5285.

Thesis (PH.D.)--CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY (HEALTH SCIENCES), 1994.

School code: 0499.