title: Testing Orem's theory of self-care deficit: dependent care agent performance for children.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to test Orem's theory of self-care deficit, one of three constituent theories included in her general self-care deficit theory of nursing. Specifically, the relationship between dependent care agent performance and basic conditioning factors was examined. Dependent care agent performance for children was defined as health promotion and self-care activities provided by a responsible adult on behalf of the child. The Dependent Care Agent Questionnaire was used with a sample of 380 mothers of children from ages 1 to 16 years. The hypothesis that basic conditioning factors influenced dependent care agent performance was supported (R2 = .13, p = .0001).
authors.affiliation: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
authors.forename: K F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Gaffney
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009742:Nursing Theory; D012648:Self Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires