Health-seeking resources and quality of life in chronically ill elders

The growing population of elders yields an increased prevalence of chronic conditions that may have long-term negative effects on elders' quality of life. Nursing interventions are needed to enhance health-seeking resources in chronically ill elders, which will, in turn, promote their optimal functioning and quality of life. However, an increased understanding of the relationships among chronically ill elders' health-seeking resources (health self-determinism, and personal and social resourcefulness), intervening factors (social network size and number of chronic conditions), and quality of life indicators (physical and psychosocial functioning) would provide direction for developing appropriate interventions. This secondary analysis of existing data examined three health-seeking resources and their relationships with two intervening factors and specific quality of life indicators in 137 chronically ill elders residing in retirement facilities in Northeast Ohio, who agreed to participate in a larger study that examined social cognitive factors that predicted their health. Schlotfeldt's health-seeking model provides the guiding theoretical framework for addressing three specific aims that focus analyzing relationships among the study variables in the chronically ill elders: (1) What is the relationship between health-seeking resources, intervening factors, and quality of life indicators? (2) Of the proposed health-seeking resources and intervening factors, which are significant predictors of quality of life indicators after controlling for age, gender, and race? and (3) Do intervening factors moderate the effects of health-seeking resources on the quality of life indicators? The study measures included the number of persons in the elders' social network, the number of chronic conditions, the Health Self-Determinism Index, the Self-Control Schedule, the Help-Seeking Resources Scale, and the Sickness Impact Profile. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. The results indicated that chronically ill elders with greater personal resourcefulness had better physical and psychosocial functioning, which implied better quality of life. Elders with fewer chronic conditions had greater personal resourcefulness. Elders with poorer psychosocial functioning had greater social resourcefulness. In addition, the effects of personal resourcefulness and health self-determinism on psychosocial functioning depended on social network size. The findings from this study will identify important factors for tailoring nursing interventions to promote optimal quality of life for chronically ill elders.