Aslıhan Akpınar Ünal

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of self-management of chronic diseases on satisfaction with nursing care among elderly patients receiving inpatient treatment at a university hospital. Methods: This descriptive study included 150 older adults hospitalized due to chronic diseases between January and May 2025. Data were collected using a patient form, the Chronic Disease Self-Management Scale, and the Nursing Care Quality Satisfaction Questionnaire. Parametric tests, Pearson ’s correlation analysis, and linear regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Results: The analysis revealed a moderate negative and significant correlation between the self-stigma subdimension of self-management and nursing care satisfaction (r=-0.400, p<0.001). Conversely, coping with stigma was found to have a low-level positive and significant correlation with nursing care satisfaction (r=0.195, p=0.017). No significant correlations were observed between healthcare efficacy (r=0.039, p=0.632), treatment adherence (r=-0.092, p=0.261), and satisfaction. Regression analysis showed that including the subdimensions in the model significantly increased its explanatory power (R²=0.170, F=8.656, p<0.001). Self-stigma demonstrated a strong and negative effect on nursing care satisfaction (ß=−0.436, p0.05). Conclusion: Older adults had moderate levels of chronic disease self-management and high levels of nursing care satisfaction. Chronic disease self-management, particularly self-stigma, negatively affected satisfaction with nursing care. These results highlight the need for nurses to develop individualized counseling programs to support self-management in older adults and implement interventions to reduce self-stigma, which has been shown to adversely impact satisfaction with care.