title: Dyspnea coping strategies in Korean immigrants with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with lung disease develop coping strategies to relieve dyspnea. The coping strategies of Korean immigrants, however, are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to describe the strategies that Korean immigrants with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) use to cope with dyspnea and to compare similarities and differences in coping strategies between the two conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outpatients with asthma (n = 25) or COPD (n = 48) participated in a cross-sectional descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Open-ended questions and a structured instrument were used to describe coping strategies for dyspnea. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most prevalent strategy was "I keep still or rest." Korean immigrants also used traditional therapies to manage dyspnea.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the coping strategies of Korean immigrants were similar to those of other ethnic groups, they incorporated elements of Asian medical practice and herbs. This finding enables health care providers to better understand Korean immigrants' efforts to overcome dyspnea and to guide their patients' approach to coping.
authors.affiliation: Korea University, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Soo Kyung
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Nancy A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Stotts
authors.forename: Marilyn K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: DorAnne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Donesky-Cuenco
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Carrieri-Kohlman
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Korean immigrants; asthma; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; coping strategies; dyspnea