Actions Performed in the Sphere Of Self-Care During Life

• Main Authors: Beáta Ráczová, Katarína Vasková
• Format: Article
• Language: ces
• Published: University of Ostrava 2015-06-01
• Series: Psychology and its Contexts
• Subjects: self-care; adolescence; adulthood; seniors
• Online Access: http://psychkont.osu.cz/fulltext/2015/Raczova-Vaskova_2015_1.pdf

The aim of this study is to identify the level of performing self-care activities during lifetime, clarify the structure of these activities and detect the existence of gender differences. Sample consists of 713 respondents (429 women and 284 men), at the age between 15 and 89 years (average age 43,81; SD=23,12). Data are collected in particular development stages from adolescence (15-19 years), young adulthood (20-35 years), and adulthood (36-65 years) to senescence (66 and more years). For data collection Performed Self-Care Questionnaire (Lovaš & Hricová, 2015) is used. This instrument consists from 21 items focusing on three areas: physical wellbeing (factor 1), activities performed in the situation of health problems (factor 2) and positive frame of mind (factor 3). Interesting results were shown. At first, self-care intensity is relatively stable during life. In closer look to the structure of performed actions it is shown, that in the first part of life is the most frequent strategy the care of one´s psychical wellbeing. Contrariwise, in the second half of life are activities associated with health preservation and health problems prevention preferred. Similar results are shown in Orem and Vardiman (1995), who are interested in effects of specific development factors on self-care. Development trend, that lies in decreasing character of performed self-care activities in the area of physical wellbeing and increasing of self-care activities related with health problems and psychical wellbeing is confirmed. Explanation of this trend can be partially found in publications of Šolcová (2011), Zeleznik (2007) or Merluzzi and Nairn (2009), in which authors describe gradual increase of health problems connected with rising age and efforts done for their elimination. Other sources can be found also in work of Ráczová and Zibrinyiová (2014), where decrease of care of physical wellbeing is compensated by more accessible strategies, for example psychical wellbeing preservation. Gender differences are not confirmed, according to results in Lovaš (2010) survey. The idea of successful ageing reached by self-care perceived as perpetual activity is supported by results of this study. Attempts to understand these problems can lead to exploration of different strategies that will affect ageing processes in desirable way even during life and they can improve quality of life not only at individual level, but at all-society level too.