Quality of Self-Care in Adolescents with Major Thalassemia Referred to Selected Thalassemia Centers in Iran

Aims: Adolescents who suffer from chronic diseases, such as major thalassemia are more susceptible to physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, educational, and social self-care failure. These factors are generally more likely to be overcome if affected adolescents have a high level of self-care. This study aimed to assess self-care quality in adolescents with major thalassemia. Instrument Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 200 adolescents with major thalassemia selected by convenience sampling. The Self-Care Assessment Questionnaire (SCAQ) with 52 items in six dimensions was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and ANOVA. Findings: There was no significant relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and the dimensions of self-care in participants. Adolescents with major thalassemia were found with a high score of quality of self-care. The highest mean scores were related to the dimensions of “emotional/mental self-care (2.44±0.64)”, “social self-care (2.08±0.61)”, and “spiritual self-care (2.07±0.62)”, respectively. Conclusion: It is recommended that this issue be investigated in other adolescent patients, considering the importance of self-care and its effects on various aspects of quality of life in chronic diseases. Also, planning and implementing patient education is another important management measure to promote self-care in these adolescents.