ORIGINAL PAPER
Psychological determinants of self-care for health among fathers with small children
 
 
 
More details
Hide details
1
Faculty of Christian Philosophy, Institute of Psychology, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, Warsaw, Poland
 
 
Submission date: 2015-11-06
 
 
Final revision date: 2016-01-05
 
 
Acceptance date: 2016-01-05
 
 
Online publication date: 2016-04-07
 
 
Publication date: 2016-03-07
 
 
Health Psychology Report 2016;4(3):202-212
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background
Care of own health is statistically determined by many variables. The authors of the article focused exclusively on objective stable factors such as personality traits and health valuation. The conducted research study aimed at assessment of correlations between self-care for health and its psychological constituents such as personality traits, health locus of control, self-efficacy, positive and negative affect as well as health valuation examined in the population of fathers of small children.

Participants and procedure
The examinations included 77 fathers aged between 30 and 40 who filled out the following questionnaires: NEO-FFI Inventory, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, List of Criteria for Health, Health Value Scale and Care-for-Health Scale.

Results
Positive correlations were noted between the general level of individual health self-care (including an active attitude towards own health and practices for health) and health valuation, extroversion, conscientiousness, self-efficacy, external health locus of control – influence of others (or powerful others) and positive emotionality. Negative correlations were detected between health self-care (in general and within particular health scales) and neuroticism and negative affect.
The following factors proved statistically significant for self-care for health: health valuation, personality traits, and external health locus of control – influence of others.

Conclusions
In the selected group of men the strongest correlation between health self-care and health valuation both in physical (practices for health) and psycho-social (active attitude toward own health) aspects was observed. Ascertaining health self-care predictors can be useful for constructing health self-care promotion programs to address the parents of small children.
 
REFERENCES (42)
1.
Bandura, A. (2007). Teoria społecznego uczenia się [Social Learning Theory]. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
 
2.
Betlejewski, S. (2007). Choroby społeczne, cywilizacyjne czy choroby stylu życia? [Social and civilization diseases or lifestyle diseases?]. Wiadomości Lekarskie, 60, 9–10.
 
3.
Biernat, E., Poznańska, A., & Gajewski, A. (2012). Determinanty prozdrowotnej aktywności fizycz­nej warszawskich nauczycieli [Determinants of health physical activity in Warsaw teachers]. Przegląd Epidemiologiczny, 66, 119–126.
 
4.
Bogg, T., & Roberts, B. W. (2013). Conscientiousness and health-related behaviors: a meta-analysis of the leading behavioral contributors to mortality. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 887–919.
 
5.
Booth-Kewley, S., & Vickers, R. R. (1994). Associations between major domains of personality and health behavior. Journal of Personality, 62, 281–298.
 
6.
Brzozowski, P. (2010). Skala Uczuć Pozytywnych i Negatywnych SUPIN [Positive and Negative Affect Schedule]. Warszawa: PTP.
 
7.
Carrera-Bastos, P., Fontes-Villalba, M., O’Keefe, J. H., Lindeberg, S., & Cordain, L. (2011). The western diet and lifestyle and diseases of civilization. Research Reports in Clinical Cardiology, 2, 15–35.
 
8.
Central Statistical Office of Poland. (2013). Zdrowie i ochrona zdrowia w 2012 roku [Health and Health Protection in 2012]. Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. Departament Badań Społecznych i Warunków Życia. Zakład Wydawnictwa Statystycznych.
 
9.
Conway, T. L., Vickers, Jr. R. R., Wallston, K. A., Costa, Jr. P. T. (1992). Personality, Health Locus of Control, and Health Behavior. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, 100th, Washington, DC, August 14-18, 1992.Source: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fullt... (20.09.2012).
 
10.
Crockett, R. (2007). Health behaviour. The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. Postnote. May, number 283.
 
11.
Dolińska-Zygmunt, G. (2001). Podstawy psychologii zdrowia [Bases for health psychology]. Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego.
 
12.
Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2000). Positive affect and the other side of coping. American Psychology, 55, 647–654.
 
13.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Updated thinking on the positivity ration. American Psychologist, 68, 814–822.
 
14.
Friedman, H., Kern, L., & Reynolds, C. A. (2010). Personality and health, subjective well-being, and longevity. Special Issue: Trait Anger and Reactive Aggression. M. D. Robinson & Benjamin M. Wilkowski (eds.). Journal of Personality, 78, 179–216.
 
15.
Gętek, M., Czech, N., Całyniuk, B., Białek, A., & Kukielczak, A. (2011). Świadomość zdrowotna społeczeństwa a dbałość o zdrowie [Health awareness of community versus health self-care]. Polski Przegląd Nauk o Zdrowiu, 1, 14–20.
 
16.
Gromulska, L., Piotrowicz, M., & Cianciara, D. (2009). Własna skuteczność w modelach zachowań zdrowotnych oraz w edukacji zdrowotnej [Self-efficacy in models of health behaviors and health education]. Przegląd Epidemiologiczny, 63, 427–432.
 
17.
Hearst, M. O., Martin, L., Rafdal, B. H., Robinson, R., & McConnellc, S. R. (2013). Early childhood development and obesity risk-factors in a multi-ethnic, low-income community: Feasibility of the ‘Five Hundred under Five’ social determinants of health pilot study. Health Education Journal, 72, 203–215.
 
18.
Heszen, I., & Sęk, H. (2015). Psychologia zdrowia [Health Psychology]. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
 
19.
Ingledew, D. K., & Brunning, S. (1999). Personality, preventive health behaviour and comparative optimism about health problems. Journal of Health Psychology, 4, 193–208.
 
20.
Jacennik, B. (2008). Strategie dla zdrowia. Kształtowanie zachowań zdrowotnych poprzez środowisko [Strategies for health. Shaping health behaviors by the environment]. Warszawa: Wyższa Szkoła Finansów i Zarządzania.
 
21.
Juczyński, Z. (2001). Narzędzia pomiaru w promocji i psychologii zdrowia [Measurement tools in the promotion and health psychology]. Warszawa: Pracownia Testów Psychologicznych.
 
22.
Juczyński, Z. (2009). Pomnażanie i wzbogacanie zasobów własnego zdrowia [Increasing and enriching resources of own health]. Polskie Forum Psychologiczne, 14, 17–31.
 
23.
Khanolkar, A. R., Byberg, L., & Koupil, I. (2012). Parental influences on cardiovascular risk factors in Swedish children aged 5-14 years. European Journal of Public Health, 22, 840–847.
 
24.
Kurowska, K., & Lewandowska, A. (2012). Zachowania zdrowotne a umiejscowienie kontroli zdrowia u pacjentów z rozpoznanym nadciśnieniem tętniczym [Health behaviors versus health locus of control in patients with diagnosed hypertension]. Nadciśnienie Tętnicze, 16, 296–304.
 
25.
Lau, R. R., Hartman, K. A., & Ware, J. E. (1986). Health as a value: methodological and theoretical considerations. Health Psychology, 5, 25–43.
 
26.
Malik, M., Zarzycka, D., Iłżecka, J., & Jarosz, M. (2009). Wartość zdrowia jako czynnik motywacyjny do działań prozdrowotnych [Health values as a motivational factor for health activities]. Zdrowie Publiczne, 119, 33–39.
 
27.
McCann, S. J. (2005). Longevity, big five personality factors, and health behaviors: presidents from Washington to Nixon. The Journal of Psychology, 139, 273–286.
 
28.
Milham, S. (2010). Historical evidence that electrification caused the 20th century epidemic of “diseases of civilization”. Medical Hypotheses, 74, 337–345.
 
29.
Murphy, E. (2005). Promoting healthy behavior. Health Bulletin: Population Reference Bureau, 2, 1–29.
 
30.
Norman, P., & Bennett, P. (1996). Health locus of control. In M. Conner & P. Norman (eds.), Predicting health behavior (pp. 62–94). Buckingham-Philadelphia: Open University Press. Source: http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinf..., from: 08.08.2010.
 
31.
Ogińska-Bulik, N. (ed.). (2010). Zachowania ryzykowne i szkodliwe dla zdrowia [Risky and harmful behaviors for health]. Łódź: Wydawnictwo Akademii Humanistyczno-Ekonomicznej.
 
32.
Papandonatos, G. D., Williams, D. M., Jennings, E. G., Napolitano, M. A., Bock, B. C., Dunsiger, S., & Marcus, B. H. (2012). Mediators of physical activity behavior change: Findings from a 12-month randomized controlled trial. Health Psychology, 31, 512–520.
 
33.
Raynor, D., & Levine, H. (2009). Associations Between the Five-Factor Model of Personality and Health Behaviors Among College Students. Journal of American College Health, 58, 73–82.
 
34.
Rosińska, P. (2014). Psychologiczne wyznaczniki troski o zdrowie u rodziców małych dzieci. Niepublikowana praca doktorska [Psychological indicators of self-care for health among parents with small children]. Warszawa: Instytut Psychologii, Wydział Filozofii Chrześcijańskiej.
 
35.
Santulli, G. (2013). Epidemiology of cardiovascular disease in the 21st century: Updated Numbers and Updated Facts. Journal of Cardiovascular Disease, 1, 2326–3121.
 
36.
Schwarzer, R. (2008). Modeling health behavior change: How to predict and modify the adoption and maintenance of health behaviors. Applied Psychology, 57, 1–29.
 
37.
Smith, T. W. (2006). Personality as risk and resilence in physical health. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15, 227–231.
 
38.
Stachowska, M., Gostek, M., Klimberg, M., & Zielińska, A. (2006). Styl życia osób w wieku 31-50 [Lifestyle of persons aged between 31-50]. Problemy Higieny i Epidemiologii, Supl. 87, 41–46.
 
39.
Steptoe, A., & Wardle, J. (2001). Locus of control and health behaviour revisited: a multivariate analysis of young adults from 18 countries. British Journal of Psychology, 92, 659–672.
 
40.
Wallston, B. D., & Wallston, K. A. (1978). Locus of control and health: a review of the literature. Health Education Monographs, 6, 107–117.
 
41.
Weiss, G. L., & Larsen, D. L. (1990). Health value, health locus of control, and the prediction of health protective behaviors. Social Behavior and Personality, 18, 121–136.
 
42.
Zawadzki, B., Strelau, J., Szczepaniak, P., & Śliwińska, M. (1998). Inwentarz Osobowości NEO-FFI Costy i McCrae [Personality Inventory NEO-FFI]. Warszawa: PTP.
 
Copyright: © Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk This is an Open Access journal, all articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.
eISSN:2353-5571
ISSN:2353-4184
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top