This article describes the theoretical development and initial testing of a model outlining the interaction of the concepts of self-care agency and learned helplessness in healthy working adults. Orem's theory of self-care and the reformulated learned helplessness theory are discussed as the theoretical basis for the study. The self-care agency conditioning factors, age and gender, were examined for relationships to the main variables. In a descriptive, correlational design, the hypothesis, that learned helplessness was inversely related to self-care agency, was supported (r = -.57). Neither age norigender was related to main variables in the population. Implications for nursing research, self-care theory clarification, and nursing practice are discussed.
Abramson, L. , Garber, J., & Seligman, M. (1980). Learned helplessness in humans: An attributional analysis. In J. Garber & M. Seligman (Eds.), Human helplessness theory and application (pp. 3-34). New York: Academic Press.
2.
Abramson, L. , Seligman, M., & Teasdale, J. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87, 49-74.
3.
Avom, J. , & Langer, E. (1982, June). Induced disability in nursing home patients: A controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 30(6), 397-400.
4.
Beck, A. , Weissman, A., Lester, D., & Trexler, L. (1974). The measurement of pessimism: The hopelessness scale. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 861-865.
5.
Bickel, L. (1982). A study to assess the factorial structure of the perception of self-care agency questionnaire. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Nursing.
6.
Brugge, P. (1981). The relationship between family as a social support system, health status, and exercise of self-care agency in the adult with a chronic illness. Dissertation Abstracts International, 42, 1704B. (University Microfilms No. 82-09, 277)
7.
Chapman, S. , & Brena, S. (1982). Learned helplessness and response to nerve blocks in chronic low back pain patients. Pain, 14(4), 355-364.
8.
Cleveland, S. (1989). Re: "Perceived self-care agency: A LISREL factor analysis of Bickel and Hanson's questionnaire" [Letter to the editor]. Nursing Research, 38(1), 59.
9.
Cohen, J. (1977). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (rev. ed.). New York: Academic Press.
10.
Cole, C. , & Coyne, J. (1977). Situational specificity of laboratory induced helplessness. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 86, 615-623.
11.
Diener, C. , & Dweck, C. (1978). An analysis of learned helplessness: Continuous changes in performance, strategy, and achievement cognitions following failure. Personality and Social Psychology, 36(5), 451-462.
12.
Galdston, R. (1972). The burning and the healing of children. Psychiatry, 35, 57-66.
13.
Green, L. , Werlin, S., Schauffler, H., & Avery, C. (1977, Summer). Research and demonstration issues in self-care: Measuring the decline of medico centrism. Health Education Monographs, 5(2), 161-189.
14.
Hamberg, D. , Elliott, G., & Parron, D. (1982). Health and behavior frontiers of research in the biobehavioral sciences. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
15.
Hanson, B. (1981). Development of a questionnaire measuring perception of self-care agency. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Nursing.
16.
Hanson, B. , & Bickel, L. (1985). Development and testing the questionnaire on perception of self-care agency. In J. Riehl-Sisca (Ed.), The science and art of self-care (pp. 271-278). Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofis.
17.
Hiroto, D. (1974). Locus of control and learned helplessness. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 102, 187-193.
18.
Hollon, S. , & Garber, J. (1980). A cognitive-expectancy theory of therapy for helplessness and depression. In J. Garber & M. Seligman (Eds.), Human helplessness theory and application (pp. 173-195). New York: Academic Press.
19.
Hungelmann, J. (1984). Components of self-care ability of older persons with chronic disease. Dissertation Abstracts International, 45, 3592B. (University Microfilms No. 84-20, 074)
20.
Illich, I. (1976). Medical nemesis: The expropriation of health. New York: Bantam.
21.
Kavanagh, C. (1983). Psychological intervention with the severely burned child: Report of an experimental comparison of two approaches and their effects on psychological sequelae. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 22(2), 145-156.
22.
Kirk, R. (1982). Experimental design: Procedures for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
23.
Kirscht, J. (1983). Preventive health behavior: A review of research and issues. Health Psychology, 2 (3), 277-301.
24.
Koop, C. (1983). Perspectives on future health care. Health Psychology, 2(3), 303-312.
25.
Langer, E. , & Rodin, J. (1976). The effects of choice and enhanced personal responsibility for the good: A field experiment in an institutional setting. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 311-328.
26.
Lefcourt, H. (1982). Locus of control: Current trends in theory and research (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
27.
Levin, L. (1976). Self-care: An international perspective. Social Policy, 7(2), 70-75.
28.
Levinson, D. , Darrow, C., Klein, E., Levinson, M., & McKee, B. (1978). The seasons of a man's life. New York: Knopf
29.
Lewinsohn, P. , & Arconad, M. (1981). Behavioral treatment of depression: A social learning approach. In J. Clarkin & H. Glazer (Eds.), Behavioral and directive treatment strategies. New York: Gailand.
30.
Luchow, J. , Crowl, T., & Kahn, J. (1985). Learned helplessness: Perceived effects and effort on academic performance among EH and LD/EH children. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 18(8), 470-474.
31.
Miller, W. (1980). The addictive behaviors: Treatment of alcoholism, drug abuse, smoking and obesity. New York: Pergamon.
32.
National Center for Health Statistics . (1985a, August). Charting the nation's health: Trends since 1960 (DHHS Publication No. PHS 85-1251). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
33.
National Center for Health Statistics . (1985b, December). Health, United States (DHHS Publication No. PHS 86-1232). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
34.
Nunnally, J. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
35.
Orem, D. (1971). Nursing: Concepts of practice. New York: McGraw-Hill.
36.
Orem, D. (Ed.). (1973). Concept formalization in nursing: Process and product. Boston: Little, Brown.
37.
Orem, D. (Ed.). (1979). Concept formalization in nursing: Process and product (2nd ed.). Boston: Little, Brown.
38.
Orem, D. (1980). Nursing: Concepts of practice (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
39.
Orem, D. (1985). Nursing: Concepts of practice (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
40.
Orem, D. (1991). Nursing: Concepts of practice (4th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby.
41.
Public Health Service . (1979). Smoking and health: A report of the surgeon general (DHHS Publication No. PHS 79-50066). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
42.
Public Health Service . (1991). Healthy people 2000: National health promotion and disease prevention objectives (DHHS Publication No. PHS 91-50212). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
43.
Quinless, F. W. , & McDermott-Nelson, M. A. (1988). Development of a measure of learned helplessness. Nursing Research, 37(1), 11-15.
44.
Raps, C. , Peterson, C., Jonas, M., & Seligman, M. (1982). Patient behavior in hospitals: Helplessness, reactance, or both. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42(6), 1036-1041.
45.
Reynolds, W. , & Miller, K. (1985). Depression and learned helplessness in mentally retarded and non-mentally retarded adolescents: An initial investigation. Applied Research in Mental Retardation, 6, 295-306.
46.
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
47.
Rosenstock, I. , & Kirscht, J. (1979). Why people seek health care. In G. Stone, F. Cohen, & N. Adler (Eds.), Health psychology (pp. 161-188). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
48.
Rydholm, L. , & Pauling, J. (1991). Contrasting feelings of helplessness in peritoneal and hemodialysis patients. American Nephrology Nurses' Association Journal, 18(2), 183-184, 186, 200.
49.
Seligman, M. (1975). Helplessness: On depression, development, and death. San Francisco: Freeman.
50.
Seligman, M. (1991). Learned optimism. New York: Knopf.
51.
Stoner, C. (1985, January/February). Learned helplessness: Analysis and application. Oncology Nursing Forum, 12(1), 31-35.
52.
Sykes, W. (1979). Role of the child psychiatrist on the bum team and the psychiatric problems of the burned child. In W. Bailey (Ed.), Pediatric burns. Chicago: Symposia Specialists.
53.
Taylor, S. (1982). Hospital patient behavior: Reactance, helplessness or control? In H. Friedman & M. R. DiMatteo (Eds.), Interpersonal issues in health care (pp. 209-232). New York: Academic Press.
54.
Tiggeman, M. , & Winefield, A. (1978). Situation similarity and the generalization of learned helplessness. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 30(4), 725-735.
55.
U.S. Bureau of the Census . (1988) Statistical abstract of the United States: 1988 (108th ed.). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
56.
U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare . (1979). Healthy people: The surgeon general's report on health promotion and disease prevention. (DHEW Publication No. PHS 79-55071). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
57.
Wallston, K. , & Wallston, B. (1982). Who is responsible for your health? The construct of health locus of control. In G. Sanders & J. Suls (Eds.), Social psychology of health and illness (pp. 65-95). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaun.
58.
Weaver, M. (1987). Perceived self-care agency: A LISREL factor analysis of Bickel and Hanson's questionnaire. Nursing Research, 36(6), 381-387.
59.
Weaver, M. (1989). Response [Letter to the editor]. Nursing Research, 38 (1), 59.
60.
Wilson, G. , & Brownell, K. (1980). Behavioral therapy for obesity: An evaluation of treatment outcome. Advances in Behaviour Research and Therapy, 3, 49-86.
61.
Wortman, C. , & Brehm, J. (1975). Responses to uncontrollable outcomes: An integration of reactance theory and the learned helplessness model. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 8, 277-336.
