Self-care
Self-care has been defined as the process of establishing behaviors to ensure holistic well-being of oneself, to promote health, and actively manage illness when it occurs.[1] Individuals engage in some form of self-care daily with food choices, exercise, sleep, and hygiene.[1] Self-care is not only a solo activity, as the community—a group that supports the person performing self-care—overall plays a role in access to, implementation of, and success of self-care activities.
This article is about the maintenance of one's personal well-being and health. For a person's assessment of their own value and dignity, see Self-esteem. For other uses, see Self-care (disambiguation).Self-care
Routine self-care is important when someone is not experiencing any symptoms of illness, but self-care becomes essential when illness occurs.[2][3] General benefits of routine self-care include prevention of illness, improved mental health, and comparatively better quality of life.[4][5][6][7] Self-care practices vary from individual to individual. Self-care is seen as a partial solution to the global rise in health care costs that is placed on governments worldwide.[8]
A lack of self-care in terms of personal health, hygiene and living conditions is referred to as self-neglect. Caregivers or personal care assistants may be needed. There is a growing body of knowledge related to these home care workers.[9]
Self-care and self-management, as described by Lorig and Holman, are closely related concepts.[10] In their spearheading paper, they defined three self-management tasks: medical management, role management, and emotional management; and six self-management skills: problem solving, decision making, resource utilization, the formation of a patient–provider partnership, action planning, and self-tailoring.[10]
There are numerous factors that affect self-care.[22] These factors can be grouped as personal factors (e.g., person, problem, and environment), external factors, and processes.[23]
Personal factors:
External factors:
Processes:
Self-care practices are shaped by what are seen as the proper lifestyle choices of local communities. Social determinants of health play an important role in self-care practices.[26] Internal personal factors such as motivation, emotions, and cognitive abilities also influence self-care maintenance behaviors. Motivation is often the driving force behind performing self-care maintenance behaviors.[25] Goal setting is a practice associated with motivated self care.[25] A person with depression is more likely to have a poor dietary intake low in fruits and vegetables, reduced physical activity, and poor medication adherence.[27] An individual with impaired cognitive or functional abilities (e.g., memory impairment) also has a diminished capacity to perform self-care maintenance behaviors[25] such as medication adherence which relies on memory to maintain a schedule.[24]
Self-care is influenced by an individual's attitude and belief in his or her self-efficacy or confidence in performing tasks and overcoming barriers. Cultural beliefs and values may also influence self-care. Cultures that promote a hard-working lifestyle may view self-care in contradictory ways[25] Personal values have been shown to have an effect on self-care in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.[28]
Social support systems can influence how an individual performs self-care maintenance. Social support systems include family, friends, and other community or religious support groups. These support systems provide opportunities for self-care discussions and decisions. Shared care can reduce stress on individuals with chronic illness.[25]
There are numerous self-care requisites applicable to all individuals of all ages for the maintenance of health and well-being.[29] The balance between solitude or rest, and activities such as social interactions is a key tenet of self-care practices.[29] The prevention and avoidance of human hazards and participation in social groups are also requisites. The autonomous performance of self-care behaviors is thought to aid elderly patients.[30] Perceived autonomy, self-efficacy and adequate illness representation are additional elements of self-care, which are said to aid people with chronic conditions.
A variety of self-report instruments have been developed to allow clinicians and researchers to measure the level of self-care in different situations for both patients and their caregivers:[25] These instruments are freely available in numerous languages. Many of these instruments have a caregiver version available to encourage dyadic research.
