Finding meaning in chronic illness as the key to self-care

Self-care is an important element in the successful management of a long-term illness. However, people with chronic illnesses are often reluctant to adopt self-care behaviors. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to investigate the evolution of a readiness to self-manage a nonfatal chronic illness. A purposive sample of twelve individuals with a nonfatal illness whose course can be controlled by treatment were interviewed. In addition, the primary nurse caring for each informant at home was also interviewed. The findings indicate that the key process in self-care readiness was finding meaning in chronic illness. This process involved assenting to the illness and reframing its implications positively. It allowed informants to make sense of self-care teaching and to perceive themselves as self-care agents having some control over their illness course.