This study elicited Korean women's perceptions of the life situations that contribute to Hwabyung, a culture bound psychiatric illness in Korea, and delineated a typology of the perceived causative factors for this illness.

A purposive sample of 21 Korean women was recruited from a church, a senior center in Seoul and a clinic that provides traditional Korean and westernized medical services to patients in the Gyeonggi area. Inclusion criteria were: 1) the diagnosis of Hwabyung by a traditional doctor or "stress reaction and depression" by a westernized doctor; and 2) a score greater than 40 on the Hwabyung Self Report Instrument. Surveys using the HSRI and individual interviews using Q methodology were used.

The average age of the participants was 53.7 years (range 35-84). The mean score on the HSRI was 46.2 (range = 42-52). Data analysis showed that participants perceived three life situations to cause Hwabyung: vulnerable situation, lowered self esteem, and negative life events.

Korean women, suffering from Hwabyung, perceived at least three different causal patterns for this illness. Nursing care plans should be tailored to meet these differences.