Abstract:
The purpose of this research is to investigate self-care behaviors of pregnant women, on one hand, and the connection between health perception, stress and self-concept and self-care behaviors of pregnant women, on the other. It is also examine the predictability of self-care behaviors of pregnant women from their health perception, stress and self-concept. The participants of this research were 218 pregnant women who asked Maesot General Hospital in Tak province to take care of them during pregnancy from January to February 2007. The elicitation tools used in this scrutiny were demographic data, self-care Behavior scale measurement, stress scale measurement, health perception scale measurement and self-concept scale measurement. Data analysis was done by using frequency distribution, means, standard deviation, Pearson correlation and Stepwise Multi Variable Regression Analysis. The results show that: 1. Health perception is negatively associated with self-care behaviors of the pregnant women (p > 0.05). In addition, health perceptions in terms of motivation, general health, benefit of behaving-while-pregnancy and other factors are negatively associated with self-care behaviors of pregnant women (p >0.01). 2. Stress of pregnant women is positively associated with self-care behaviors of pregnant women (p <0.01). 3. The self-concept is positively associated with self-care behaviors of pregnant women (p <0.01). In particular, self-concept in terms of outward behavior is positively associated self-care behaviors of pregnant women (p < 0.01) 4. As for Stepwise Regression Analysis, factors relating to self-care behaviors of pregnant women have statistical significance (p <0.05). That is ; stress and self-concept are predictors of self-care behaviors of pregnant women in the same direction. However, health perceptions in tenns of other factors and benefits of behaving-while-pregnancy are predictors of self-care behaviors of pregnant women in the opposite direction.