Date of Award
12-1981
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Sociology
First Advisor
Dr. Stanley S. Robin
Second Advisor
Dr. James Petersen
Third Advisor
Dr. Edward Pawlak
Abstract
This is an inquiry into the attitudes of Health Systems Agency Boards of Directors toward the use of self care as part of the health and delivery system. Self care is viewed as a current social movement in health care. Contributions and limitations of both classical social movement theory and resource mobilization theory were examined for their utility in understanding and making predictions about the self care movement. Self care attitudes of the boards of directors from all eight Michigan Health Systems Agencies (HSAs) were analyzed through the Self Care Attitude Index (SCAI). Data were gathered via self-administered, mail questionnaires. Board member endorsement of a series of proposed self care programs was analyzed according to the member's consumer/provider sex status, and socioeconomic status (SES). None of these variables were found to be associated with self care endorsement when analyzed in bivariate fashion. Age, consumer/provider role and SES were found to contribute one-third of the variation of self care endorsement when analyzed through the use of a stepwise multiple regression model. Formal policy statements of the HSAs were also analyzed to determine HSA support for self care. It was found that HSA board members are highly supportive of self care in the abstract, but that HSA goals do not reflect a strong commitment to self care.
Access Setting
Dissertation-Open Access
Recommended Citation
Vissing, Yvonne Marie, "Self Care as an Innovation in Health Care Delivery: The Health Systems Agency as Medium and Barrier" (1981). Dissertations. 2557.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/2557