title: Learned helplessness as an interacting variable with self-care agency: testing a theoretical model.
abstract: This article describes the theoretical development and initial testing of a model outlining the interaction of the concepts of self-care agency and learned helplessness in healthy working adults. Orem's theory of self-care and the reformulated learned helplessness theory are discussed as the theoretical basis for the study. The self-care agency conditioning factors, age and gender, were examined for relationships to the main variables. In a descriptive, correlational design, the hypothesis, that learned helplessness was inversely related to self-care agency, was supported (r = -.57). Neither age nor gender was related to main variables in the population. Implications for nursing research, self-care theory clarification, and nursing practice are discussed.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: McDermott
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006380:Helplessness, Learned; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016294:Models, Nursing; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*