Culture and illness: parents' perceptions of their child's long term illness.

PubMedPublished 1 January 1982

Joan M. Anderson, Jennifer Chung

Citations18

TL;DR

The family is often the primary decision-maker in matters related to health and illness and cultural meanings applied to sickness are of considerable importance to health professionals and consumers.

Abstract

The family is often primary decision-maker in matters related to health and illness. Litman (1974) states that, the family constitutes perhaps most important social context within which illness occurs and is resolved (p. 495). Spiralling health care costs have resulted in shorter hospital stays and a shift to home care services (Davis, 1980). Families are increasingly being called upon to take on role of health teacher and caretaker. In those instances when a child has a long term health problem and is cared for in home, parents must assume a major decision-making role in child's treatment. Cultural meanings applied to sickness are therefore of considerable importance to health professionals and consumers (Kleinman, Eisenberg, & Good, 1978).

Keywords

PsychologySocial SciencesHealth Professions

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