The impact of methods on the analysis of illness concepts in a Guatemalan community
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TL;DR
Analysis of the data generated by each method reveals differences in the levels of illness causation and explanatory orders in the folk medical system, chronicity of the reported illnesses, and the frequency and sequence of medical resource utilization.
Abstract
Survey and case study methods were used to obtain information about illness concepts and behavior in a Guatemalan Maya community. The different methods, with their concomminant questions, and type of informant (lay vs shaman) elicited different patterns of responses concerning the problems of native concepts of illness causation, the nature of illnesses reported, and treatment utilized. Analysis of the data generated by each method reveals differences in (1) the levels of illness causation and explanatory orders in the folk medical system, (2) chronicity of the reported illnesses, and (3) the frequency and sequence of medical resource utilization. The paper concludes by examining the methodological and theoretical implications of these differences.