Significant Others and Illness Behavior: A Much Neglected Sick Role Contingency.
The fact that illness behavior is not determined entirely by physiological factors has been noted by a number of investigators from diverse fields of study. Margaret Mead's observation of the complete absence of morning sickness among pregnant Arapesh women and accounts of the couvade are two exampl...
| Published in: | Sociological Quarterly Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 32 - 42 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Taylor & Francis Ltd
Winter69
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=14001771&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 14001771 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00380253 SQR jtl: Sociological Quarterly issn: 00380253 maglogo: Y pubinfo: dt: Winter69 vid: 10 iid: 1 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd artinfo: ui: 14001771 10.1111/j.1533-8525.1969.tb02059.x ppf: 32 ppct: 10 formats: tig: atl: Significant Others and Illness Behavior: A Much Neglected Sick Role Contingency. aug: au: Petroni, Frank A. affil: Division of Social Science Research, The Menninger Foundation su: Psychology of the sick Significant others Behavioral medicine Applied psychology Persons Social sciences sug: subj: Psychology of the sick Significant others Behavioral medicine Applied psychology Persons Social sciences ab: The fact that illness behavior is not determined entirely by physiological factors has been noted by a number of investigators from diverse fields of study. Margaret Mead's observation of the complete absence of morning sickness among pregnant Arapesh women and accounts of the couvade are two examples which come to mind immediately.In the social sciences, research relating illness behavior to social processes has been almost entirely restricted to studies of ethnic, religious, and class differences, For example, Koos observed in his study of Region vine that upper-class persons labeled their symptoms as illness more often than lower-class persons and presented more of their somatic complaints to a physician. Koos also found that although lower back pain was an almost universal condition among lower-class women, it was not recognized as symptomatic of a disorder, but was accepted as part of their everyday existence. Class differences in illness behavior were also studied by Kutner and Gordon who found a relationship between quickness in seeking medical care for cancer symptoms and socioeconomic status. There are also numerous studies of ethnic variations in illness behavior. Saunders, Zborowski, and Zola have each independently shown that the relationship between cultural background and sick role performance is not a chance fluctuation. Saunders found significant ethnic variations in responses to illness and usage patterns of medical facilities. In his study, the Anglos preferred modern medicine and in-hospital treatment, while the Spanish speaking subjects preferred folk medicine and family care. From Zborowski's study, it was learned that Jewish, Italian, and Anglo patients manifested different response styles to pain. The Jewish and Italian patients reacted similarly by exaggerating their pain; however, the Jews were more concerned with the source of pain and its symptomatic meaning. The Italians, on the other hand, wanted immediate relief. The Anglos, unlike the Italians or Jews, reacted stoically to pain. However, like the Jews, they were concerned with the symptomatic meaning. Zola's study of Irish and Italian patients revealed that there were significant differences in the way in Which the two ethnic groups perceived and communicated their body symptoms. In brief, the Italians presented more symptoms, had more somatic complaints, and noted more physical debility.Each of the above studies focused on the relationship of a gross social variable to illness behavior. None of them, however, have concentrated on illness behavior arising from the perceived support, or lack of support, from a relevant other. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 1969 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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