Jin-Hyang Yang; Hae-Ok Lee; Myung-Ok Cho

doi:10.4040/jkan.2010.40.5.662

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Original Article
The Meaning of Illness among Korean Americans with Chronic Hepatitis B: Jin-Hyang Yang, Hae-Ok Lee, Myung-Ok Cho; Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing 2010;40(5):662-675.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2010.40.5.662
Published online: October 31, 2010

¹Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Inje University, Busan, Korea.

²Associate Professor, College of Nursing and Health Science, University of Massachusetts Boston, MA, USA.

³Professor, Department of Nursing, Dongeui University, Busan, Korea.

Address reprint requests to: Yang, Jin-Hyang. Department of Nursing, Inje University, 633-165 Gaegum-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan 614-714, Korea. Tel: 82-51-890-6839, Fax: 82-51-896-9840, jhyang@inje.ac.kr

• Received: March 21, 2010 • Accepted: October 14, 2010

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Abstract
NOTES
REFERENCES

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

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

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The Meaning of Illness among Korean Americans with Chronic Hepatitis B

J Korean Acad Nurs. 2010;40(5):662-675. Published online October 31, 2010

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2010.40.5.662

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The Meaning of Illness among Korean Americans with Chronic Hepatitis B