Effects of Illness Perception on Self-Care Agency and Hopelessness Levels in Liver Transplant Patients: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Individuals with liver transplantation (LT), hopelessness, and lack of self-care may occur and change in the illness perceptions; however, no study has examined the effects of the illness perceptions on self-care agency and hopelessness levels in individuals with LT. This study was conducted to examine the effects of the illness perceptions of patients who had received LT surgery on their self-care agency and hopelessness levels. A descriptive cross-sectional study with a convenience sample (N = 120) was conducted at a center in eastern Turkey. The data were collected by using the "Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire" (B-IPQ), "Self-Care Agency Scale" (SCAS), "Beck Hopelessness Scale" (BHS). In the study, the mean total B-IPQ, SCAS, BHS scores was found as 57.50 ± 3.61, 83.83 ± 9.43, 10.19 ± 3.81, respectively. There was a positive and significant relationship between the B-IPQ and BHS total scores.