Self-care agency and quality of life among adults diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease

Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often exhibit anxiety and depression, pain and reduced energy but may not adequately develop self-care agency (SCA) to manage IBD. The purpose of this study was to examine whether SCA is related to quality of life in adults diagnosed with IBD. The sample of 34 individuals for this descriptive, correlational study completed three questionnaires including the Appraisal of self-care agency scale (A.S.A.-A Scale), the Inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire and a Demographic data questionnaire. Results indicated SCA was unrelated to indicators of quality of life among IBD individuals. This finding may be attributed to the high level of functioning of the sample. However, IBD quality of life (emotional functioning, social functioning, and bowel and systemic symptoms) was negatively correlated with the number of medications individuals took and positively correlated with the number of diagnosed chronic illnesses.