本研究之目的在於探討高血壓老人之健康內外控、自我效能與自我照顧及其間的相關性。 本研究採方便取樣，共包括120位美國德州中部之非住院、且罹患高血壓之老年人。樣本取自老人午餐中心及老人活動中心的參與者。樣本的平均年齡為73.6歲，其中74%為女性。罹患高血壓的平均年數為15.5年。本研究所使用的主要統計方法為相關性分析和逐步迴歸分析。健康內外控與自我效能及自我照顧均呈高相關性，自我效能和自我照顧間亦呈高相關性。此研究結果顯示健康內控者亦具有較高之自我效能，並且執行較多的自我照顧。自我效能較高者亦較會去執行自我照顧。此外，逐步迴歸分析的結果顯示，健康內外控與自我效能兩個變項可以解釋自我照顧總變異量的39%。最後並就研究結果提出有關日後護理研究和護理臨床應用之參考。護理人員可藉由加強高血壓老人之健康內控感與自我效能來促進其執行自我照顧。未來之研究並可採實驗設計法，以為這些措施提供實證支持。

　　　　　The purposes of this study were to examine and identify relationships among health locus of control, self-efficacy, and self-care behavior of the elderly with hypertension. The convenience sample consisted of 120 noninstitutionalized elderly individuals with hypertension in central Texas of the United States. Subjects were recruited through senior luncheon centers and senior activity centers. The average age of the subjects was 73.6 years. Female comprised 74% of the sample. The mean of years since diagnosis with hypertension was 15.5. Correlations and stepwise regressions were the principal statistics used for data analysis. Health locus of control was highly correlated with self-efficacy and self-care. Self-efficacy was also highly correlated with self-care. These findings suggest that subjects who perceived they had more control over their health also had greater self-efficacy and engaged in more self-care. Subjects with higher self-efficacy also tended to engage in more self-care. In addition, stepwise regression showed that health locus of control and self-efficacy explained 39% of the variance in self-care. Finally, implications for nursing research and nursing practice which evolved from the study are offered. Nurses can provide interventions to strengthen the elderly individual's internal health locus of control and self-efficacy to facilitate self-care. In addition, studies that examine interventions proposed to enhance internal health locus of control and self-efficacy would provide empirical support for interventions that influence self-care.