Self-care agency and self-care practice of adolescents

The purposes of this study were threefold: (a) to describe self-care agency, (b) to describe self-care practice, and (c) to describe the relationship between self-care agency and self-care practice in adolescents. The usefulness of Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory (SCDNT) with adolescents also was evaluated. Participants in this study included 173 adolescents, 14 to 19 years of age. Data were collected in classroom settings in two diverse high schools. Denyes Self Care Agency Instrument-90 and Denyes Self-Care Practice Instrument-90 were administered. Results revealed the presence of self-care agency and self-care practice. Although self-care practice was lower than self-care agency, a significant positive correlation was found between the two concepts. The lower self-care practice scores, as compared with the self-care agency scores, suggest that characteristic adolescent behaviors may or may not interfere with self-care practice. The results of this study support the usefulness of Orem's SCDNT with adolescent populations and identify the critical need for further research examining self-care in adolescents.