title: Fright illness in Hmong children.
abstract: For the Hmong, illness may occur as the result of an intense emotional experience such as a frightening or upsetting event. Illness from fright (termed ceeb; pronounced "cheng") among refugee Hmong children entails culture-specific meaning, etiologies, responses, and treatment. In a focused ethnographic study, interviews with 18 Protestant Hmong parents and several community members living in a Midwestern community identified factors contributing to the onset of fright illness in Hmong children, its symptomatology, and treatment. Diagnostic and treatment methods for fright illness were discussed with a Hmong healer. Culture and religious change has influenced ideas and healing practices surrounding illness from fright. Nurses and other health care providers are often unaware of illnesses and treatments specific to culture groups different than their own. Elicting the patient's perspective on illness can provide insights that assist in providing culturally sensitive care.
authors.affiliation: Center for Independent Learning, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL, USA.
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Capps
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001210:Asia, Southeastern / Q000208:ethnology; D001213:Asian; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000451:nursing; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires