BASIC CONDITIONING FACTORS, SELF-CARE AGENCY, SELF-CARE, AND WELL-BEING IN HOMELESS ADULTS.
Contributors: Wayne State University.
Published: 1996
Number of pages: 178
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Social.; Sociology, Public and Social Welfare.
Description: Nursing has a role in providing direct helping services to homeless individuals that promotes self-care leading to health and well-being. This study, within Orem's self-care deficit theory of nursing, explored the dimensions of self-care agency, self-care, and well-being while controlling for selected basic conditioning factors in homeless adults. A theoretical model of the relationships between these concepts was tested. This descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study, with a sample of 150 homeless adults (37 females, 113 males; 75% African-American; mean age 38), was conducted at four homeless shelters in one urban community in northwest Ohio.

The dimensions of self-care agency were comprised of the power components and the human foundational dispositions of general affect balance and self-esteem. Variables were operationalized by: Cantril's Self-Anchoring Striving Scale (well-being), Denyes Self-Care Practice Instrument (self-care), Denyes Self-Care Agency Instrument (power components), Bradburn's Affect Balance Scale (affect), Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (self-esteem), Sarason's Social Support Questionnaire, Short Form (social support), Cantril's Ladder (perceived health state), Mood's Symptoms Scale (health symptoms), and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (history of mental illness and of substance abuse).

Study variables explained 37% of the variance in self-care agency, 54% of the variance in self-care, and 30% of the variance in well-being. History of mental illness, history of substance abuse, perceived health state, and satisfaction with social support were significant predictors of the power components of self-care agency which, in turn, was the sole significant predictor of self-care. Satisfaction with social support and self-care were the significant predictors of current well-being. Path analysis explained 30% of the variance in current well-being and supported 1 direct effect (self-care) and 14 indirect effects on well-being. While satisfied with their social support, the network size of the average homeless individual was only 1.2 persons.

Implications for nursing care of homeless adults and direction for nurses working within the self-care deficit theory are delineated. Nurses and society at large are provided a more definitive understanding of specific factors with which homeless adults struggle. This study was part funded by the Ohio Department of Mental Health, Office of Program Evaluation and Research.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-04, Section: B, page: 2473.

Thesis (PH.D.)--WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY, 1996.

School code: 0254.