Taking Care of Yourself Grounded in Experiences of Homeless Youth - Essay Example

I think the comparative grounded theory was appropriate to achieve the purpose of this study. The author used 15 homeless adolescents, who were interested in self-care.  All participants were asked two questions: 1) What helps you maintain healthy living as you do, 2) What would you like to tell me about how you take care of yourself?

The interviews, behaviors, physical appearance, and gestures of participants during the interview were recorded, analyzed, and compared to within and between them by comparative grounded therapy. The descriptive theory of self-care for homeless youth was generated from this study.  The descriptive theory linked three categories: becoming aware of oneself, staying alive with limited resources, and handling one’s own health. The theory supports Orem’s conceptualization of self-care that personal care of human beings can be modified by self-awareness, environmental conditions, the effect of medical care, and other factors.  The homeless youths of this study were resilient, because they faced so many obstacles in their lives, but still showed courage to redirect their lives towards health, growth, and development. In conclusion, our community is still in need of support groups, which can help homeless youths to develop self-care awareness and behaviors in a high-risk environment (Lynn, 2003, p 235-241).