Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2010.40.5.662

The Meaning of Illness among Korean Americans with Chronic Hepatitis B  

Yang, Jin-Hyang (Department of Nursing, Inje University)
Lee, Hae-Ok (College of Nursing and Health Science, University of Massachusetts Boston)
Cho, Myung-Ok (Department of Nursing, Dongeui University)
Publication Information
Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing / v.40, no.5, 2010 , pp. 662-675 More about this Journal
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.
Keywords
Qualitative research; Chronic Hepatitis B; Chronic disease;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 2  (Citation Analysis)
Times Cited By Web Of Science : 1  (Related Records In Web of Science)
연도 인용수 순위
1 Ryu, H., Young, W. B., & Park, C. (2001). Korean American health insurance and health services utilization. Research in Nursing & Health, 24, 494-505.   DOI   ScienceOn
2 Wang, W. L., Wang, C. J., & Tseng, H. F. (2009). Comparing knowledge, health beliefs, and self-efficacy toward hepatitis B prevention among university students with different hepatitis B virus infectious statuses. Journal of Nursing Research, 17, 10-19.   DOI   ScienceOn
3 Weinbaum, C. M., Williams, I., Mast, E. E., Wang, S. A., Finelli, L., Wasley, A., et al. (2008). Recommendations for identification and public health management of persons with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 57(RR-8), 1-20.
4 Wolcott, H. F. (1994). Transforming qualitative data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
5 Wu, H., Yim, C., Chan, A., Ho, M., & Heathcote, J. (2009). Sociocultural factors that potentially affect the institution of prevention and treatment strategies for prevention of hepatitis B in Chinese Canadians. Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology, 23, 31-36.
6 Yang, J. H., Cho, M. O., & Lee, H. O. (2009). Qualitative research investigating patterns of health care behavior among Korean patients with chronic hepatitis B. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing, 39, 805-817.   과학기술학회마을   DOI   ScienceOn
7 Yi, M., Choi, E. O., Paik, S. W., Kim, K. S., Kwak, S., & Lee, H. J. (2007). Illness experience of people with chronic hepatitis B in Korea. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing, 37, 665-675.   과학기술학회마을
8 Perrillo, R. (2006). Management of chronic hepatitis B virus infection: Current perspectives for the nurse practitioner. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 18, 203-215.   DOI   ScienceOn
9 Spardley, J. P. (1990). Participant observation (H. B. Lee, Trans.). Seoul: Korea National Book Company. (Original work published 1980)
10 Tan, N. C., Cheah, S. L., & Teo, E. K. (2005). A qualitative study of health-seeking behavior of hepatitis B carriers. Singapore Medical Journal, 46, 6-10.
11 Thompson, M. J., Taylor, V. M., Yasui, Y., Hislop, T. G., Jackson, J. C., Kuniyuki, A., et al. (2003). Hepatitis B knowledge and practices among Chinese Canadian women in Vancouver, British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 94, 281-286.
12 Lin, Z. (2009). Asian American voices. New York, NY: National League for Nursing.
13 Loustaunnau, M. O., & Sobo, E. J. (2002). Cultural context of health, illness, and medicine (J. S. Kim, Trans.). Seoul: Hanwool Academy. (Original work published 1997)
14 Lupton, D. (2009). Medicine as culture: Illness, disease and the body in western societies (J. S. Kim, Trns.). Seoul: Hanwool Academy. (Original work published 2003)
15 Meadows, L. M., & Morse, J. M. (2001). Constructing evidence within the qualitative project. In J. M. Morse., J. M. Swansen., & A. Kuzel. (Eds.), Nature of qualitative evidence (pp. 187-200). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
16 Nettleton, S. (1997). The sociology of health and illness (H. J. Cho, Trans. p. 36). Seoul: Hanwool Academy. (Original work published 1995)
17 Jeong, S. B. (2007). Cultural pragmatics of Korean. Seoul: Saengkakeuinamu.
18 Nyamathi, A., Liu, Y., Marfisee, M., Shoptaw, S., Gregerson, P., Saab, S., et al. (2009). Effects of a nurse-managed program on hepatitis A and B vaccine completion among homeless adults. Nursing Research, 58, 13-22.   DOI   ScienceOn
19 Foucault, M. (2006). Naissance de la clinique. (S. M. Hong, Trans.). Seoul: Imagine Press. (Original Work published 1963)
20 Hall, E. T. (2002). The hidden dimension (H. S. Choi, Trans.). Seoul: Hangilsa. (Original work published 1979)
21 Kleinman. A. (1980). Patient and healers in the context of culture. California, CA: University of California Press.
22 American Cancer Society. (2005). California cancer facts & figures 2005. Retrieved August 27, 2009, from http://www.ccrcal.org/PDF/ACS2005.pdf
23 Lee, H., Levin, M. J., Kim, F., Warner, A., & Park, W. (2008). Hepatitis B infection among Korean American in Colorado: Evidence of the need for serologic testing and vaccination. Hepatitis Monthly, 8, 91-96.
24 Levinson, S. C. (1993). Pragmatics (I. H. Lee., & K. W. Gwon, Trans.). Seoul: Hansinmoonhwasa. (Original work published 1980)
25 Alizadeh, A. H., Ranjbar, M., & Yadollahzadeh, M. (2008). Patient concerns regarding chronic hepatitis B and C infection. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 14, 1142-1147.
26 Brugge, D., Edgar, T., George, K., Heung, J., & Laws, M. B. (2009). Beyond literacy and numeracy in patient provider communication: Focus groups suggest roles for empowerment, provider attitude and language. BMC Public Health, 9, 354-364.   DOI   ScienceOn
27 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). Screening for chronic hepatitis B among Asian/Pacific islander populationsnew york city, 2005. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 55, 505-509.
28 Cohen, C., Evans, A. A., London, W. T., Block, J., Conti, M., & Block, T. (2008). Underestimation of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in the United States of America. Journal of Viral Hepatitis, 15, 12-13.
29 Cho, M. O. (2001). Meaning of sickness for the elderly in a folk healing practicum. Journal of Korean Academy of Adult Nursing, 13, 539-550.
30 Choe, M. D., Chan, N., Do, H. H., Woodall, E., Lim, E., & Taylor, V. M. (2005). Hepatitis B and liver cancer beliefs among Korean immigrants in western washington. Cancer, 104, 2955-2958.   DOI   ScienceOn