Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of the study was to determine health-related behaviors, profile of health locus of control (HLC), and to assess the relationships between these constructs among patients suffering from chronic somatic diseases.Material and MethodsThree-hundred adult patients suffering from various chronic diseases participated in the study. The patients' mean age was 54.6 years (SD = 17.57).ResultsNo statistically significant differences were found between the different clinical groups in health-related behavior, acceptance of illness, internal HLC or chance HLC. Patients with neurologic conditions showed slightly lower powerful others HLC than did some other clinical groups. Health-related behavior was significantly positively related to all three categories of HLC, with most prominent associations observed with powerful others HLC. Only one type of health-related behavior – preventive behavior – correlated significantly and negatively with acceptance of illness. Differences in the frequency of health-related behavior were also found due to gender (women showing more healthy nutritional habits than men), age (older subjects showing more frequent health-promoting behavior), education (higher education was associated with less frequent health-promoting behavior) and marital status (widowed subjects reporting more frequent health-promoting behavior).ConclusionsHealth-related behavior in patients with chronic diseases seems to be unrelated to a specific diagnosis; however it shows associations with both internal and external HLC. Sociodemographic factors are also crucial factors determining frequency of health-related behavior in such patients.
Highlights
Health-related behavior involves a variety of behavior patterns, actions and habits which bear relevance to health maintenance, restoration or improvement [1]
Among cognitive factors, generalized beliefs related to health controllability and manageability, usually conceptualized as health locus of control (HLC), were identified as a crucial determinant of health-related behavior [11]
Wallston et al [13] proposed that HLC should be viewed as a multidimensional construct, with relatively independent dimensions. These dimensions reflected differences in attributions people can hold about the responsibility for and control of their health. These could be limited to three major categories: (1) internal HLC – the responsibility for one’s health is attributed to oneself and to the action one takes with consequences for health; (2) powerful others HLC – the responsibility for one’s health is assigned to other people, predominantly medical professionals, who are perceived as those in control of one’s health condition; and (3) chance HLC – the responsibility for one’s health is believed to depend on uncontrollable factors, such as good/bad luck, or fate [13]
Summary
Health-related behavior involves a variety of behavior patterns, actions and habits which bear relevance to health maintenance, restoration or improvement [1]. These could be limited to three major categories: (1) internal HLC – the responsibility for one’s health is attributed to oneself and to the action one takes with consequences for health; (2) (external) powerful others HLC – the responsibility for one’s health is assigned to other people, predominantly medical professionals, who are perceived as those in control of one’s health condition; and (3) (external) chance HLC – the responsibility for one’s health is believed to depend on uncontrollable factors, such as good/bad luck, or fate [13] These beliefs are relatively stable characteristics formed in the process of social adaptation and personal experience. They are expressed in the individual’s attitudes and subjective norms
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