The conceptual structure of hwa-byung in middle-aged Korean women

Young Joo Park; Hesook Suzie Kim; Donna Schwartz-Barcott; Jong Woo Kim

doi:10.1080/0739933029008955

The conceptual structure of hwa-byung in middle-aged Korean women

Young Joo Park, Hesook Suzie Kim, Donna Schwartz-Barcott, Jong Woo Kim

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

46 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The term hwa-byung (HB) as a culture-bound syndrome of Koreans has been used to refer to certain types of symptom complexes. However, there is an ambiguity in relation to what sorts of experiences and personal attributes can be identified for describing HB. Our study was designed to reexamine the conceptual structure of HB through a qualitative analysis of interview data with six middle-aged women experiencing HB. The emerging common themes of HB were identified in three dimensions: (a) those related to personal attributes or life situations such as quick-temperedness, strong commitment to traditional values, a hard or unhappy life, and conflicted marital relationship; (b) those related to experiential accounts such as deep sorrow (hahn in Korean), a feeling of victimization, anger, and enduring; and (c) HB symptoms. "Enduring" as one of the core concepts of HB viewed as the only way of life for these women needs further examination.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	389-397
Number of pages	9
Journal	Health Care for Woman International
Volume	23
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/0739933029008955
Publication status	Published - 2002 Jun

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Health Professions

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10.1080/0739933029008955

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The conceptual structure of hwa-byung in middle-aged Korean women

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