Health Locus of Control in Patients With Graves-Basedow Disease and Hashimoto Disease and Their Acceptance of Illness

Background: adaptation to a chronic somatic disease depends on a variety of factors, including belief in health locus of control. objectives: correlation between health locus of control and illness acceptance in patients with graves-basedow and hashimoto diseases as well as correlation between health locus of control , illness acceptance , sex, and age. patients and methods: three methods were applied: multidimensional health locus of control scale by k.a. wallston, b.s. wallston and r. devellis; the acceptance of illness scale by b.j. felton, t.a. revenson, and g.a. hinrichsena; and a personal questionnaire. two groups were subject to the research: 68 patients with graves-basedow disease and 54 patients with hashimoto disease. results: patients with graves-basedow disease, women above all, have their health locus of control in other persons (p = 0,001) and are less inclined to accept their illness (p = 0,005) when compared to patients with hashimoto disease. a statistically significant correlation occurred between the age of patients and external (i.e., in other persons) health locus of control. conclusions: beliefs in health locus of control and type of illness in female patient group are predictors of illness acceptance (p = 0,0009).