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Transcultural Psychiatry
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Health Seeking for Ambiguous Symptoms in Two Cultural Groups: A Comparative Study

Alison Karasz

Albert Einstein College of Medicine, akkarasz{at}montefiore.org

Kara Dempsey

Mailman School of Public Health

This study examined cultural differences in health seeking for medically ambiguous symptoms in women from two culturally diverse communities. Thirty-five South Asian immigrants and 36 European Americans participated in a health history interview. Though the types and relative frequencies of practices were similar across the two groups, the goals and underlying logic supporting practices differed sharply. Among European Americans, practices were focused on the need to increase energy, creativity, and output; among South Asians, practices emphasized storing up strength through increased consumption or reduced expenditure. We conclude that the relationship between conceptual models of cause and cure depends on the `match' of both to broader, unarticulated cultural models of health and illness.

Key Words: conceptual models • cultural differences • health seeking • illness representation • treatment seeking

Transcultural Psychiatry, Vol. 45, No. 3, 415-438 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1363461508094674
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