Paper: Evaluation of Locus of Control for Health in Patients Suffering from Mellitus Diabetes (20th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice)

Tuesday, 14 July 2009

Alba Franzon Miranda, PhD, RN¹
Kátia Melissa Padilha, MS, RN¹
Carla Caroline Zanetti, RN²
Claudete Leandra Mendes, RN³
Janaina Marques da Silva, RN⁴
Regiane Cortez, RN⁵
1Nursing, Paulista University / Campinas State University, Campinas, Brazil
2Nursing, Paulista University - UNIP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
3Nursing, Paulista University - UNIP, Valinhos, Sao Paulo - SP, Brazil
4Nursing, Paulista University - UNIP, Valinhos, SP, Brazil
5Nursing, Paulista University - UNIP, Campinas, SP, Brazil

Learning Objective 1: The participants will learn about the importance of locus of control for health in educative practice.

Learning Objective 2: The influence of dimensions of Locus of Control for Health in the caracteristics of sample

Patientes who suffer from mellitus diabetes have to get along with the symtoms, the complications, the continuous treatment and the use of medications which can cause side effects. These factors interfere directly in the way these people deal with their disease. The Locus of Health Control (MHLC) is an instrument which allows us to verify the dimensions of the control that are related to specific health problems making possible to address the guidance and care given to the patients. The aim of this study was to apply the Locus of Health Control Scale in diabetic patients. The data was collected from 16 diabetic patients in a Basic Health Unit in the countryside of São Paulo State. The majority of the sample was from the female gender, with an average age of 67.1 ±11.6 years old, white race, married, having elementary school level and retired. They deal with their disease for 118 ± 88 months in average, 75% never stayed in a hospital. The majority of the subjects had a healthy life, 56% of the sample didn’t have difficulties to cope with their disease, 87% kept a regular control of their glycemia, and 75% of them showed normal glucose level. The subjects grant the control of their disease to themselves (Internality score average= 23.06 ±1.85) instead of Externality Fate, God and Luck (Externality average value = 16.81± 4.29). It is considered important to know the way these subjects relate to and their disease, and these knowledge can be the base for interventions and plans for educational practice that can improve the quality of life and avoid complications for these patients.

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