A predictive model of well-being and self-care for rural elderly women in Taiwan

A predictive model of well-being and self-care was tested with 284 women aged 60-88 living in rural communities in Taiwan. The variables studied were age, marital status, social class, social support, perceived health, self-care agency, self-care behavior, and perceived well-being. The model was tested by path analysis. The parameters of the model were estimated with the maximum likelihood method. In the refined model, chi2 (12, N = 284) = 15.18, p =.23), 33% of the total variance in well-being was explained by self-care behavior, social support, and perceived health; 66% of the total variance in self-care behavior was explained by self-care agency and social support; 49% of the total variance in self-care agency was explained by social support, perceived health, social class, and age; 14% of the total variance in social support was explained by marital status, social class, and age; and 8% of the total variance in perceived health was explained by social support. The goodness-of-fit index was.99, indicating that the refined model fit the data well. The findings of this study contribute to a greater understanding of this predictive model for application with older women in rural Taiwan.