의료 추구행동에 대한 태도조사 = Attitude Toward Help-Seeking Behavior

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

For understanding the illness behavior of Korean lay people, the authors attempted to unravel their help-seeking behavior with structured interview with lay people.
Fifteen psychological symptoms and eight somatic symptoms were presented to 299 lay people and asked “Do you think each symptom as abnormal or ill?”and “whom do you want to consult this problem to ?”
Neurotic symptoms were generally underestimated and were thought to be relieved by the help of family or self-help, whereas psychotic and organic mental symptoms were in general perceived as abnormal amd mostly thought to be consulted with psychiatrists. Even though delusion of infidelity was regarded as abnormal, it was advised to have intrafamilial resolution. Senile dementia was perceived as a natural course of human life and thought to be managed in the family. Behavioral problems such as alcoholic behavior, personality disorder, suicidal behavior and wife-beating were considered as abnormal, but they were advised to seek rather familial help than professional one, Common and mild somatic symptoms were hardly regarded as illness, and advised to use self-help or drug store. Longstanding and acute somatic symptoms were considered as illness and were thought to be objects of consulting both Western and traditional medicines.
No significant difference in attitude toward help-seeking Behavior could be found between female and male. When people were getting older they preferred traditional medicine to western medicine. Highly educated people had different consultants according to the nature of symptoms. Urban people preferred western medicine to traditional medicine than rural people did.
Consequently, the authors could find that there were many symptoms with low degree of cognition and multiple, various help-seeking behaviors. Unification of health delivery system in Korea and desirable attitude of physicians were emphasized.