Journal List > J Korean Acad Nurs > v.40(5) > 1002658

Yang, Lee, and Cho: The Meaning of Illness among Korean Americans with Chronic Hepatitis B

Abstract

Purpose

This ethnography was done to explore the meaning of illness in Korean Americans with chronic hepatitis B.

Methods

The participants were 6 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 6 general informants who could provide relevant data. Data were collected from iterative fieldwork with ethnographic interviews within Korean communities in two cities in the United States. Data were analyzed using causal chain analysis developed by Wolcott.

Results

The analyses revealed three meanings for the illness: hidden disease, intentionally hidden disease, and inevitably hidden disease. The contexts of meaning of illness included characteristics of the illness, social stigma, structure of health care system and communication patterns and discourse between health care providers and clients.

Conclusion

The meaning of illness was based on folk illness concepts and constructed in the sociocultural context. Folk etiology, pathology and interpretation of one's symptoms were factors influencing illness behavior. These findings could be a cornerstone for culture specific care for Korean Americans with chronic hepatitis B.

Notes

This work was supported by the 2009 Inje University Research Grant.

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