ArticleJournal of clinical nursing2026
Self-Care Experiences and Support Needs of Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Multimorbidity: A Qualitative Study Informed by the Caring Life-Course Theory.
Article in Journal of clinical nursing, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
aimTo explore how community-dwelling older adults with multimorbidity experience, enact and navigate daily self-care using the Caring Life-Course Theory to identify opportunities for strengthening self-care and self-management support.
designQualitative descriptive study.
methodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 50 years living with two or more chronic conditions across three Australian states and territories. Data were analysed inductively and deductively using qualitative content analysis. Inductive coding was followed by theory-informed analysis to interpret self-care capability, capacity, care networks and system supports.
resultsEighteen participants (mean age = 70.9 years) described self-care as an adaptive, experience-based process influenced by lived experience, health transitions, informal care networks and system responsiveness. Participants generally demonstrated agency and resourcefulness in managing complex and changing care needs, often learning through trial and error. Psychosocial and relational needs were frequently under-recognised in healthcare encounters, requiring individuals and informal carers to compensate for fragmented, inconsistent support. Self-care capability and capacity were shaped by experiential learning, health and self-care literacy and access to informal and online resources, particularly where formal education was limited or unavailable.
conclusionSelf-care for older adults with multimorbidity is shaped by dynamic interactions between personal capability, relational support and system-level factors across the life-course. The Caring Life-Course Theory provides a comprehensive approach for understanding these interdependencies and identifying opportunities for intervention. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Findings highlight the need to strengthen coordinated, person-centred and relationally grounded approaches to self-care and self-management in primary and community care, including improved access to evidence-informed resources and anticipatory support. REPORTING
methodThis study is reported in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Participants contributed through semi-structured interviews and provided feedback on study findings. IMPACT: What problem did the study address? Community-dwelling older adults living with multimorbidity are expected to engage in self-care, yet little is known about how they experience, enact and sustain daily self-care, particularly when psychosocial and relational needs are inconsistently recognised within health and social care systems. What were the main findings? Self-care was characterised as an adaptive, experiential process shaped by life experience, informal support networks and system responsiveness. Participants frequently compensated for under-recognised psychosocial and relational needs through informal and online supports and resources. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? Findings can inform clinicians, service providers and policymakers in primary, community and aged care settings by identifying opportunities to strengthen coordinated, person-centred and relational self-care and self-management support for older people with multimorbidity.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.