Relationships of Contextual and Relational Factors to Health Empowerment in Women

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships of contextual and relational factors to health empowerment in women with children. This study used a descriptive, correlational design to answer the basic research question: “What contextual and relational factors explain health empowerment in women?” The theoretical framework of health empowerment was based upon a synthesis of social and developmental perspectives and guided by a Rogerian view of the person-environment process. The analytic approach included bivariate correlations and a series of multiple regressions to identify factors explaining health empowerment. The contextual (demographic) and relational (social and professional support) factors explained 38% of the variance in health empowerment measured as knowing participation in change. For health empowerment, measured as lifestyle behaviors, the contextual and relational factors explained 43% of the variance. The results of this study offer partial empirical support for theoretical relationships. Findings provide a basis to generate additional nursing research focusing on the continuous mutual process of human beings and the environment, leading to theory-based interventions.