The Relationship between self-actualization and consistency of oral contraceptive use.

The relationship between degree of self-actualization and consistency of use of oral contraceptives was investigated. Self-actualization was defined as the highest level of need attainment in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Consistency of usage referenced to the regularity with which oral contraceptives were taken. The null hypothesis of the study was "there is no relationship between degree of self-actualization and consistency of use of oral contraceptives." Sixty subjects participated in this study. They were selected from the following areas: the Planned Parenthood Clinic of Salt Lake City, the nurse-midwifery class at the University of Utah, and the undergraduate nursing class at the University of Rochester. Each subject had used oral contraceptives as her sole method of birth control for at least the past year and had the same sexual partner during that time. Two measurement instruments were used in the study, the Personal Orientation Inventory, designed by Everett Shostrom, and a questionnaire, designed by the investigator. The POI was designed to determine degree of self-actualization and assigned a score for each. The questionnaire used in this study contained five questions about degree of contraceptive compliance. In addition, demographic data and data needed to determine whether the subject met criteria for inclusion in the study were elicited. Every subject in this study received a written explanation of the study, a description of criteria for inclusion in the study, and a consent form. Those who signed the form were then given a copy of the POI, an answer sheet, and a questionnaire, which they returned to investigator when completed. The data obtained from the questionnaires and the hand-tabulated scores computed from the POI answer sheet were statistically analyzed using the University of Utah's computer facilities. The five questions dealing with consistency of oral contraceptive use the most appropriate index of compliance. The question, "How many birth control pill do you forget in one menstrual cycle?" was selected because it was closely correlated with the other compliance questions and also provided the most precise measure of degree of compliance. The noncompliance rate obtained in this study, 55%, was almost four times higher than that reported in an earlier study. The higher rate may have resulted from the different methodology of this and/or the working of the questions related to contraceptive compliance. The mean POI scores obtained in this investigation were very similar to the mean POI scores computed for the general population. A wide range of scores was achieved on every scale. Pearson product-moment correlations were computed, using the data obtained on the twelve POI scales. The only statistically significant correlation (p<.05) is related compliance with self-regard. Consistent users of oral contraceptives achieved higher scores on the self-regard scale than did inconsistent users. This correlation supported the idea that compliance increases as one become more self-actualizing. The lack of correlations between the compliance variable and all other POI scales supported the null hypothesis. Further analysis was done, correlating demographic variables with the compliance variable. Pearson product-moment correlations and Chi-square test were computed to determine the relationship of this variable to continuous and categorical demographic variables, respectively. No statistically significant (p<.05) relationships were discovered. Further investigation of the relationship of oral contraceptive compliance to degree of self-actualization is recommended.