title: Perceptions of self-care in East Germany: a cross-cultural empirical investigation.
abstract: 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.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D005859:Germany, East; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D014481:United States