RESUMEN
PURPOSE: This study elicited Korean women's perceptions of the life situations that contribute to Hwabyung, a culture bound psychiatric illness in Korea, and delineated a typology of the perceived causative factors for this illness. METHOD: A purposive sample of 21 Korean women was recruited from a church, a senior center in Seoul and a clinic that provides traditional Korean and westernized medical services to patients in the Gyeonggi area. Inclusion criteria were: 1) the diagnosis of Hwabyung by a traditional doctor or "stress reaction and depression" by a westernized doctor; and 2) a score greater than 40 on the Hwabyung Self Report Instrument. Surveys using the HSRI and individual interviews using Q methodology were used. RESULT: The average age of the participants was 53.7 years (range 35-84). The mean score on the HSRI was 46.2 (range = 42-52). Data analysis showed that participants perceived three life situations to cause Hwabyung: vulnerable situation, lowered self esteem, and negative life events. CONCLUSIONS: Korean women, suffering from Hwabyung, perceived at least three different causal patterns for this illness. Nursing care plans should be tailored to meet these differences.