Development of an Instrument to Measure Exercise of Self‐care Agency

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure a person's exercise of self‐care agency. Reliability and validity were established. Content validity was established through a rating of each item of the questionnaire by five nursing experts practicing under the self‐care concept. The Adjective Check List and Rotter's Internal‐External Locus of Control of Reinforcement Scale were used in establishing construct validity. Subjects consisted of 84 associate degree nursing students and 153 psychology students. Results showed (a) a positive correlation of self‐confidence, achievement, and intraception with exercise of self‐care agency and (b) a negative correlation between abasement and exercise of self‐care agency. The test‐retest reliability was .77 for the nursing students; split‐half reliabilities were .80 and .81, respectively, for the first and second testings of the nursing students, and .77 for the psychology students.