Date of Award

Spring 1981

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Siegel, Hildegarde

Second Advisor

McLane, Audrey

Third Advisor

Lochner, Robert

Abstract

Disengagement theory is based on the occurrence of severance or alteration of relationships between the elderly and society. Descriptive accounts of the behaviors of chronically ill individuals strikingly resemble the disengagement behaviors of the elderly described by the research of Cumming and Henry. The purpose of this study was to determine if the process of disengagement occurs in chronically ill individuals. It was hypothesized that individuals with chronic illnesses would report a higher disengagement score following the development of their chronic illness than prior to the development of their chronic illness. A random sample of 29 chronically ill individuals between the ages of 24 and 49 completed two modified Henthorn disengagement Indexes. One was completed by each individual to reflect status prior to chronic illness; the other was completed to reflect current status. Results of the modified Henthorn Disengagement Indexes were analyzed as disengagement scores and disengagement profiles describing current and previous status. These were then compared using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test at the .05 significance level. The hypothesis was supported. Significant disengagement changes were found in the areas of work in the role-set category (p .0005) and total role-set (p .0005); significant engagement change was found in the area of leisure (p .005) in the role importance category. Recommendations include changes in the scoring procedure of the Index and in the exclusion of subjects with intervening demographic variables the year prior to chronic illness. Also recommended is the duplication of the study design and the application of the disengagement theory to the population of chronically ill individuals.

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