Social support as a predictor of self-care agency in the post myocardial infarction patient
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Abstract
This study examined the relationship between social support and self-care agency in post myocardial infarction (MI) patients. Hypothesis I stated that total social support and it's three subscales are positively related to total self-care agency and it's six subscales. Hypothesis II stated that the three subscales of social support will predict total selfcare agency in post MI patients. A convenience sample of 28 post myocardial infarction patients from a large midwestern metropolitan hospital participated in the study. The Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ) was used to measure the social support variable. The Denyes Self-Care Agency Instrument (DSCAI) was utilized to measure the self-care agency variable. The study supported a positive and significant relationship between social support and self-care agency. The study further supported significant relationships between the subscales of social support and four of the subscales of self-care agency. Affect (a subscale of social support), contributed to 27% of the variance in selfcare agency. The results demonstrated congruent findings with previous studies, reflecting a positive and significant relationship between social support and self-care agency. The study findings have implications for improving nursing practice for myocardial infarction patients and for further nursing research among this population.