Self‐care practices among young adult women: Influence of symptoms, employment, and sex‐role orientation

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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of symptoms, employment, and sex‐role orientation on illness‐related self‐care activities employed by young adult women. Ninety‐six women, 20 to 40 years of age, kept a daily health diary for three weeks in which they reported their regular health care, symptoms experienced each day, and self‐care actions in response to symptoms. Self‐care actions were specific to the nature of the symptoms. Feminist and employed women engaged in illness‐related self‐care that brought them into contact with the health‐care system less frequently than their nonemployed and more traditional counterparts.