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Measuring self-care in the general adult population: development and psychometric testing of the Self-Care Inventory

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title
Can You Care for Yourself? A New Tool to Measure Self-Care Habits

This study developed the Self-Care Inventory (SCI), a tool to measure self-care in the general adult population. The SCI, based on existing theory and adapted from a chronic illness self-care tool, showed adequate reliability and strong evidence for construct validity in a US-based sample. Further research should validate the SCI in diverse samples and explore its use in clinical practice.

Explain Like I'm Five

Scientists made a special checklist to see how well grown-ups take care of themselves, like eating good food or sleeping enough. They found it works well, but want to try it with even more people.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified.

Identified Limitations

Convenience sample
The sample being predominantly white, female and well educated is not representative of the general population and may not be applicable to other demographics.
Sampling bias
Using a convenience sample, where inherent biases are present due to self-selection, impacts the generalizability of the findings.
Cross-sectional design
The cross-sectional design only provides a snapshot of self-care at one point in time, limiting understanding of the dynamic process of self-care over time.
Self-report bias
The self-report nature of the SCI may introduce response bias, where individuals might overestimate their self-care practices.

Rating Explanation

This study makes a valuable contribution by developing and validating a self-care inventory (SCI). Although the sample has limitations, the methodology is robust with an adequate response rate, clear statistical approach, and detailed validity testing. The SCI has potential use in future self-care research, but further testing in diverse samples is needed.

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Topic Hierarchy

Domain: Health Sciences
Subfield: Pharmacy

File Information

Original Title: Measuring self-care in the general adult population: development and psychometric testing of the Self-Care Inventory
Uploaded: July 14, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Privacy: Public