Perceptions of self-care in East Germany: a cross-cultural empirical investigation

The purpose of this empirical investigation was replication for comparing self-care phenomena in a cross-cultural setting. Two self-reporting inventories were employed to measure perceptual dimensions of self-care agency and self-concept. Both inventories were translated into German and administered to a convenience sample of 17 adults living in an agricultural collective in East Germany. One research concern was the usability of American-constructed nursing assessment tools in another culture. Other research questions for cross-cultural comparisons of means were formulated. Self-care and self-concept were related in the East German sample. Self-care agency means for the East German sample were lower than for an American student sample. Study limitations are identified and cross-cultural implications of the findings for nursing are discussed.