本研究目的在瞭解重β海洋性貧血青少年的疾病知識、社會支持及自我照顧行為概況，進而探討疾病知識、社會支持與自我照顧行為間的關係。研究對象為12—20歲重β型海洋性貧血青少年，取自北部三所醫院之血液特別門診共58位，以問卷來收集資料。所得資料以描述性統計、one-way ANOVA, t-test, Pearson correlation, stepwise multiple regression進行分析。研究結果顯示：研究對象在治療知識的認知最正確，而合併症及症狀知識的認知最差。在社會支持方面，以來自家人的社會支持程度最大，而以來自同學朋友的支持程度最低。在自我照顧行為中以醫療與排鐵相關的處置執行情形最好，而問題的處理與調適最差。妵性別、教育程度、患病時間、患有重β型海洋性貧血併發症、因併發症而住院、接受其他治療方式等六項的個別差異，在疾病知識、社會支持或自我照顧行為上有顯著的不同。妺疾病知識、社會支持皆與自我照顧行為呈正相關。姏家人的情緒支持、基本常識、治療知識、家人的評價支持可解釋自我照顧行為50.0%的變異量。本研究結果可做為日後護理研究和臨床護理應用之參考。

　　　　　The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among illness knowledge, social support and self-care behavior in adolescents with beta-thalassemia major. The subjects were 58 beta-thalassemia major adolescents recruited from the pediatric hematology outpatient departments of three hospitals in North Taiwan. All data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, t-test, Pearson correlation, and stepwise multiple regression. The results showed that: (1) Scoring in illness knowledge, the best was treatment know-ledge, and the worst was the knowledge of complications and symptoms. (2) The result for social support indicated that the family was the major source of support, and that classmates/friends provided the least support for thalassemic adolescents. (3) Scoring in self care behavior, the best was the medical and chelate therapy, and the worst was the management of problems and coping. (4) Individual characteristic differences, including sex, level of education, length of illness, complications of thalassemia, hospitalization due to thalassemic complications and receiving other treatments were correlated with their illness knowledge, social support or self-care behavior. (5) Illness knowledge, social support which were positively correlated with self-care behavior. (6) 50.0% of the variance in self-care behavior can be explained by emotional support from family, general know-ledge of thalassemia, treatment knowledge and appraisal support from family. These findings could provide referential material for nursing research and nursing practice.