Siektegedrag by 'n groep persone met 'n lewensbedreigende siekte

[摘要] In this study the illness behaviour of people with a life threateningillness was described and the relationship between stress, affect andillness behaviour investigated.An overview of the literature shows that the illness behaviour patientsexhibit is and should be an important consideration in the diagnosis ofillness and treatment of patients. This is evident in reports of a highamount of ill people who do not receive treatment and the high amountof patients who seek treatment for minor ailments. It is further evidentin the light of findings that illness behaviour does not always accuratelyrepresent the physical disfunction and that it may even be present inthe absence of a physical disfunction.The paucity of research on the illness behaviour of specific patientgroups, and of information on the relative effects of physical versuspsychological factors on illness behaviour, indicate a void in theliterature. The present study investigates this relationship in a group ofpatients with a life threatening illness.In the first phase of the study 15 kidney transplant patients werecompared to themselves, under normal conditions and conditions ofstress, regarding affect, the experiencing of stress and the reporting ofphysical symptoms.In the second phase of the study 15 kidney transplant patients werecompared to 15 patients with acute but minor ailments regarding thereporting of physical symptoms, affect, the experiencing of stress andthe psychosocial impact of the illness.The results indicate that psychopathology does not exist significantly inthe transplant group, denial plays an important part in coping with thetransplant, the transplant group does not have a poor quality of life, andthe transplant group reacts with illness behaviour under conditions ofstress. It was concluded that the findings have important implicationsfor the treatment of transplant patients.

[发布机构] University of the Free State