Abstract: Objective To understand the current situation of perceived health competence of elderly patients with chronic diseases in rural areas of Hunan Province and Guangdong Province,and analyze its influencing factors. Methods A total of 422 rural elderly chronic disease patients from six villages in Hunan Province and Guangdong Province were randomly selected from July to August 2023 by the convenience sampling method. They were surveyed using a general information questionnaire,perceived health competence scale,sense of agency scale and marital offence-specific forgiveness scale,and the data were analyzed. Results The perceived health competence score of elderly chronic disease patients in rural areas of Hunan Province and Guangdong Province was 33.00（31.00,36.00）points. The age,education level,number of medication taken,the sense of agency,and marital forgiveness were the influencing factors of perceived health competence in elderly chronic disease patients in rural areas of Hunan Province and Guangdong Province（all P<0.05）,explaining 39.2% of the total variance. Conclusion The perceived health competence of elderly chronic disease patients in rural areas of Hunan Province and Guangdong Province is at an above average level,and the medical staff should take targeted intervention measures from the perspectives of patients themselves and their spouses to promote patients' competence to manage their own health and promote their disease recovery and life happiness.

Key words: Perceived health competence, Sense of agency, Marital forgiveness