Examination of Factors That Affected Self-Care Agency of Nursing High School Students

Abstract

Aim: Self-care is behavior learnt through interaction, communication and culture and it improves in time. Self-care is defined as one’s realization or execution of health activities in order to continue good health and wellness while “self care agency” is defined as the ability to carry out these health activities. The study was conducted with nursing students of Ataturk School of Health of Dicle University and was planned to examine self care agency and its affecting factors.
Material And Method: The design of the current study was descriptive. It was carried out with 188 nursing students who studied at the Ataturk School of Health of Dicle University during 2013 spring term. Personal Information Form and Self-care Agency Scale were used. The data were evaluated and interpreted by statistical analysis. Ethical principles were applied throughout the research.
Findings: It was found out that mean age and standard deviation of the students was found as 21.12±2.65, 51% of the students were male, 62.8% preferred nursing unwillingly, 56.1% did not like nursing profession even now. It was found that mean score of self-care agency of student nurses was 50.29±17.42. There was no statistically significant difference between mean scores of self care agency, and gender/sex, whether or not they preferred nursing willingly, type of the high school from which they graduated, economical status and living place (p>0.05). When mean scores of self-care agency were assessed according to the grades, difference between mean scores of self-care agency and grades were statistically significant (p<0.05).
Conclusion: It was concluded that self-care agency of the students who studied at Ataturk School of Health of Dicle University was not satisfactory. Training and educational services that will increase self-care agency levels of the students of Ataturk School of Health of Dicle University should be intensified.