Lay Explanations Research Articles

Lay Explanation of Poverty During the Pandemic in Hungary

The paper analyzes perceived causes of poverty in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, Hungary, one of the most disadvantaged areas of the country. Data collection was carried out in the second half of 2020 using consensus theory and the methods of systematic data collection. The aim of the research is to discover whether support for explanations which blame structural conditions is dominant in the public perception of poverty during the pandemic. From the research discussed it is clear that structural conditions are not dominant and that the poor are often seen as being themselves responsible for their unfavourable situation. The COVID-19 pandemic is not associated with a high support for the social type of lay explanations.

Contamination, suffering and womanhood: Lay explanations of breast cancer in Central Vietnam.

Breast cancer has become the most frequent cancer among women in Vietnam, claiming over 6000 lives a year. In this article we investigate how laypeople explain the causes of this pressing health issue based on an ethnographic study conducted in the Central region of Vietnam in 2019, including hospital observation, interviews with 33 breast cancer patients and focus groups with 21 laypeople. Our findings show that their knowledge of causation is mediated through historical social contexts of warfare, a rapacious market economy, poverty, and cultural configurations of gender roles. Contamination of the environment and food, use of chemicals, failure to follow postpartum practices, breast ailments, and worry are understood to be immediate determinants of breast cancer. These popular accounts are unlikely to recognize biomedical narratives of breast cancer risk that focus upon individual responsibility and lifestyle factors because they may not reflect the lived realities of women. We emphasise the implications for public awareness campaigns to meaningfully engage with the situated social and cultural specificities of breast cancer.

Daily variability of California coastal low cloudiness: A balancing act between stability and subsidence

AbstractWe examine mechanisms driving daily variability of summer coastal low cloudiness (CLC) along the California coast. Daily CLC is derived from a satellite record from 1996 to 2014. Atmospheric rather than oceanic processes are mostly responsible for daily fluctuations in vertical stability that dictate short‐period variation in CLC structure. Daily CLC anomalies are most strongly correlated to lower tropospheric stability anomalies to the north. The spatially offset nature of the cloud‐stability relationship is a result of the balancing act that affects low cloudiness wherein subsidence drives increased stability, which promotes cloudiness, but too much subsidence limits cloudiness. Lay explanations claim that high inland temperatures “pull in” CLC, but such a process presumably would have the high temperatures directly inland. Rather, we find that the spatially offset associations between CLC and atmospheric circulation result in positive correlations between CLC and inland surface temperature anomalies to the north.

Race, Ethnicity, and Lay Explanations of Poverty in the United States

In this review, the author considers research on race/ethnicity and stratification beliefs, with special focus on beliefs about the causes of poverty in the United States. Stratification beliefs research has traditionally focused on describing what is believed about inequality, demonstrating the antecedents of beliefs, and outlining the consequences of belief adherence for the person, politics, and society. Race and ethnicity matter for Americans’ beliefs about poverty in a number of important ways. Research documents that the poor are themselves racialized in the public mind. The racial composition of people’s communities has demonstrable effects on how people think about the poor. And race/ethnic group membership is one of the most potent individual-level determinants of beliefs about poverty. Research also documents important consequences of such stratification beliefs, including their impact on people’s voting behavior and support for social policies designed to ameliorate racial and other inequalities. The author concludes with suggestions for future research in hopes of advancing our understanding of links between race/ethnicity, stratification ideology, and relevant attitudinal and behavioral outcomes.

African and Black Caribbean origin cancer survivors: a qualitative study of the narratives of causes, coping and care experiences

Objectives. Although there is evidence in the USA and UK to suggest that ethnic minority groups have an inferior experience of cancer care, few studies investigate ethnic disparities in satisfaction and care experiences among survivors. Patients’ illness perceptions (lay explanations for illness) and coping styles (emotional and behavioural) are influenced by ethnicity-related cultural beliefs and expectations. Depressive illness or fears of recurrence of cancer may also lead to poorer recovery and function. This paper investigates whether ethnic influences explain different coping behaviours, care experiences and help-seeking behaviours. Design. Eight participants of African or Black Caribbean origin were recruited from a London support group for a series of qualitative in-depth interviews. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and the transcripts analysed using a framework method of qualitative data analysis. The emergent themes were tested and documented to reflect the issues of importance to patients. Results. Lay explanations of causes of cancer were complex and diverse reflecting cultural influences and the impact of contact with health professionals. Generally, positive views about cancer care were found, especially at the secondary care level. Primary care attracted mixed views. In contrast to American studies, no acknowledgement of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity was reported. The need to be resilient and think positively were widely acknowledged as coping strategies. Some coped by avoiding contemplation of their condition or diagnosis. Religious beliefs and practices provided coping mechanisms for some, and a means to improve confidence and avoid distressing contemplation about their condition. Family, friends and charitable groups also provided emotional and practical support. Conclusions. Subjects were generally satisfied with their care; different coping styles included positive attitudes, minimisation of difficulties or more realistic consideration of the impact of cancer.

Using Social Representations Theory to Examine Lay Explanation of Contemporary Social Crises: The Case of Ireland's Recession

ABSTRACTSocial actors operate under a basic imperative to construct explanations for the events that surround them. Many issues that dominate the societal agenda today are not available to direct perception, derive from traditionally expert domains and are relatively remote from immediate local experience. This presents a challenge for lay explanation of these issues. Social representations theory offers a useful framework through which the construction of lay explanation for such issues can be examined. The current study recruited this theoretical framework to investigate lay explanations of the recent economic recession in Ireland. Data consisted of semi‐structured interviews with 14 members of the public and a web‐based survey (N = 138). The data suggested that explanations for the recession could be organised into three major themes: Power, Ordinary People and Fatalism. Strictly economic explanations were eschewed; instead, people drew upon a wide range of ideas about society, politics, morality, public spheres and personhood. The implications of these findings for understanding lay explanation of contemporary social crises are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lay Explanations and Self-Management of Diabetes in Kathmandu, Nepal

This research explores the lay explanations and self-management of diabetes among residents in greater Kathmandu, Nepal. Interviews were done with 300 respondents drawn from diabetes patient listings and members of a national diabetes club. Sociodemographic and health-related data were collected with two standardized instruments: the Illness Perception Questionnaire and the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities. Hierarchical ordinary least squares regression analyses were employed to examine predictors of self-management of diabetes. Across seven equations, R(2) values ranged from .020 to .221, and with the exception of one domain of self-management (blood sugar testing), one or more lay explanatory factors entered each equation. Respondents from this sample appear to hold lay explanations of diabetes that are similar to those of their peers in developed nations. Findings are discussed, including the caveat that these mostly male, relatively educated, and urban-residing adults with diabetes are not necessarily representative of Nepali society.

Lay Explanations of Type 2 Diabetes in Bangkok, Thailand

The increasing incidence of and mortality associated with type 2 diabetes in Thailand, and the lack of knowledge of lay understandings of diabetes, are the starting points of this paper. Ethnographic research was undertaken in an inner zone district of Bangkok, with participant observation, interviews and case studies conducted with individuals who had lived with type 2 diabetes for at least three years. Culturally specific explanations exist for the aetiology, pathology and course of illness, and responses to biomedical treatment. The notion of kam—the negative effects of past behaviour—underpinned participants’ explanations of the cause of diabetes. The presentation and development of the disease derive from Thai traditional medical theory, but its management, aimed at controlling blood glucose levels and preventing complications, involves both cosmopolitan and traditional medicines. This syncretic approach to cause, diagnosis and management suggests the value of a more comprehensive approach in health education, diagnosis and treatment.

Expert and Lay Explanations of Suicidal Behaviour: Comparison of the General Population’s, Suicide Attempters’, General Practitioners’ and Psychiatrists’ Views

Different explanations of suicidal behaviour coexist today. The incompatibility of the beliefs among experts and (potential) users of medical services can influence the implementation of prevention programmes, help-seeking behaviour and adherence to treatment. The aims of the study were to identify explanatory models of suicidal behaviour and to determine possible incompatibilities between lay (the general population and suicide attempters) and expert (the general practitioners and psychiatrists) views. The Questionnaire on Attitudes towards Suicide was revised on the basis of semi-structured interviews with the general population, suicide attempters, general practitioners and psychiatrists. The revised version was then applied to each of these four groups. Five explanatory models were identified: namely, personality, sociological, medical, crisis and genetic models. Significant group differences on the explanatory models were found. The lay people favoured crisis, sociological and medical models whereas the experts shared the belief in the medical, genetic and crisis models. The crisis model gained considerable support and was generally accepted as correct. This could be the common ground between lay people and experts and the starting point of both treatment and prevention programmes.

Race/Ethnicity and Beliefs about Wealth and Poverty*

Objective. Lay explanations for “wealth” have been neglected in research on beliefs about social stratification. This study compares the nature and determinants of beliefs about the causes of both wealth and poverty, with special focus on race/ethnic differences.Methods. Using survey data collected from Los Angeles County residents in 2000, descriptive and multivariate procedures are used to analyze “individualistic” and “structuralist” beliefs about wealth and poverty. In addition, one “fatalistic” belief, asking about the role of “God's will” in shaping wealth and poverty, is examined. Analyses test (1) whether race/ethnicity and other social and political characteristics variables shape these stratification beliefs, and (2) whether African Americans, Latinos, and whites differ in the determinants of beliefs about wealth and poverty.Results. Respondents favor individualistic over structuralist reasons for wealth, but favor structuralist over individualistic beliefs in explaining poverty. Fatalistic beliefs are least popular. On beliefs about wealth, African Americans, Latinos, and whites show similar levels of support for individualistic explanations; however, the race/ethnic minorities are both more structuralist than whites on this issue. On beliefs about poverty, the race/ethnic minorities are simultaneously more structuralist and more individualistic than are whites. Social‐class identification and self‐reported conservatism both significantly impact beliefs about wealth and poverty, and do so differently across race/ethnic lines.Conclusions. Findings support the separate treatment and examination of beliefs about wealth and poverty, and reinforce recent calls for greater attention to “nonwhites” in studies of sociopolitical attitudes.

Cultural Differences in Adolescents’ Explanations of Juvenile Delinquency

Lay explanations for juvenile delinquency given by Australian adolescents from either collectivist or individualist cultural backgrounds were examined. After controlling for socioeconomic and demographic variables, differences were found between the groups, with the individualistic group tending to emphasize more individual-oriented explanations. These results are consistent with previous work on culture and attributional style.

Concepts of iron deficiency anemia and public health measures in rural Costa Rica

In rural Costa Rica, lay people conceptualize iron deficiency anemia differently from health care providers, and these differences impede public health initiatives. This research is based on 70 ethnographic interviews with mothers of young children 24–48 months of age and interviews with health care personnel in eight rural neighborhoods. Lay explanations of anemia draw on biomedical concepts, such as the amount of iron in the blood or in food, but one common explanation is elaborated to involve a biomedical life-threatening disease, leukemia, in cases where the anemia is not treated. Furthermore, mothers often view the liquid iron given free at the clinic as treatment for anemia as too strong, causing negative dental effects; many refuse to administer the iron drops to their children and give other treatments. Formal public health measures result in effects local people consider unacceptable and not congruent with being a good parent; with few exceptions, the medical community dismisses those preoccupations as inappropriate signs of ignorance on the part of caretakers. The existence of several systems of healing allows for parental rejection of public health measures and easy access to alternative remedies.

Lay explanations for Kentucky's "Coronary Valley".

Kentucky and its neighboring states have some of the highest coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates in the United States, leading researchers to nickname the region "Coronary Valley." Currently, little is known about factors that account for "Coronary Valley"; however, understanding lay perspectives on CHD risk factors may provide insights into this high prevalence of CHD and may guide prevention efforts. In December 1999, a statewide telephone survey was administered to a random sample of Kentucky residents to elicit lay explanations for the high rates of CHD. Standard protocol for descriptive statistics was undertaken. Respondents (N = 624) identified most of the biomedically acknowledged risk factors, with an overwhelming majority acknowledging that high rates of smoking and poor diets contribute to CHD. Older respondents and those who reported having heart disease were more likely than others to identify factors beyond their control, including stress and pollution (p < .0005 and p < .00 1, respectively). After controlling for the presence of heart disease, age differences remained significant only among those who reported no heart disease. Education had marginal significance (p = .027) on explanations for CHD, while gender, racial or ethnic background, and type of community residence had no significant effects. Since most Kentuckians are aware of traditional risk factors underlying CHD, prevention efforts should be directed at removing structural and information barriers to behavior change (e.g., by providing smoking cessation programs) rather than limiting prevention efforts to traditional health education approaches (i.e., increasing knowledge of CHD risk factors).

Lay Explanations for Poverty in Turkey and Their Determinants

The external and internal causal attributions for poverty in Turkey were examined in an exploratory survey. Factor analysis results confirmed Feagin's 3 conceptual categories (1975) of explanations for poverty, structural, fatalistic, and individualistic. Income, gender, age, and education were important determinants of explanations for poverty. All income groups favored structural (external) explanations. Poor persons preferred more tangible structural explanations, and nonpoor persons gave more abstract structural explanations. Poor persons also favored fatalistic (external) explanations more than higher income groups did. Women and older people offered individualistic and fatalistic explanations more than others. Men and people with higher levels of education preferred abstract structural explanations more than others.

Lay explanations of chronic illness in later life.

This study explores lay explanations of chronic illness in later life. More specifically, perceived causes, treatment strategies, and perceived outcomes of arthritis and heart/circulatory problems from the perspective of older adults who have such problems are examined. Variations in these explanations according to selected sociodemographic and health status characteristics are explored. Among the arthritis sufferers, the most prevalent explanations were physical work/working conditions, age, and injury, whereas those with heart/circulatory problems most often explained the cause as due to tension/stress, physiology, or heredity. A variety of treatments were identified, including doing nothing, seeking or continuing medical treatment, altering lifestyle, and using folk remedies. Selected sociodemographic and health status characteristics appear important for understanding explanations about arthritis, although it is primarily health status indicators that emerge for heart/circulatory problems. Directions for future research are highlighted.

Somatization misattributed to non-pathological vaginal discharge

Lay explanations and attributional patterns about somatization related to vaginal discharge, a folk illness characterized by undue concern about passing (normal) vaginal discharge and believing that their symptoms are caused by this, were surveyed systematically in 200 consecutive women patients with predominant somatic complaints and 138 normal healthy women. Misattribution was reported 3.5 times more often by women with somatic complaints as compared to the normal women. Sixteen women were absolutely certain that their discharge was totally responsible for their symptoms and illness. Thus, somatization related to vaginal discharge seems to be a frequent undetected problem in women with somatic symptoms.

Lay explanations of and solutions to unemployment in Northern Ireland

Abstract This study investigates the structure of and relationship between lay explanations of and solutions to unemployment in an area of high unemployment. A sample of 261 subjects resident in Northern Ireland rated the importance of 20 explanations of unemployment identified by Furnham (1982) and 20 solutions to unemployment identified by Heaven (1990). Factor analysis of their responses identified three explanatory factors, viz. individualistic, societal/managerial and fatalistic/uncontrollable Factor analysis of the 20 solutions identified three primary factors which were labelled punitive, opportunity creation, and resource management. The relative importance of both the explanation and the solution factors varied little with the demographic characteristics of the subjects. A correlation analysis showed that there was a clear and meaningful pattern in the relationship between explanations of and solutions to unemployment.

Health and illness behavior and patient-practitioner relationships

Health is a product of culture and social structure. The routine organization and constraints of everyday settings shape our health. Socio-economic status is of major importance in determining exposure to disease risk and in shaping health and illness behavior responses. Lay explanations of illness affect illness appraisal, self-treatment, decisions to seek care and changes in daily regimen. Somatization of psychosocial stressors is a common concern in primary care systems throughout the world, and doctors are commonly frustrated by such patients. Somatizing patients are often enmeshed in environments of great psychosocial difficulty or are depressed, and many cultural and social factors affect how depression is expressed. Although depression has devastating disabling effects on patients, it is often neither recognized by doctors nor treated. But doctor-patient relationships are often the context for appropriate management of such problems, and how they are handled affect the future trajectory of illness and disability. Doctors' responses are conditioned by their attitudes, training, interviewing and psychosocial skills, and organizational and financial factors. Patient flow is an important intervening variable affecting the management of psychosocial difficulties and depression.

Lay explanations of symptoms of mental ill health in Kuwait.

The cognitive schemas of 208 subjects were elicited in relation to 12 hypothetical symptoms which are most commonly presented by patients suffering from psychiatric disorder. Three types of explaining schemas were recognised as physical, psychosocial and supernatural explanations. Somatic symptoms tended to have physical explanations and emotional symptoms tended to have psychosocial explanations although both are known in clinical practice to indicate psychiatric disorder and to disappear together when the disorder recovers. Supernatural explanations were most likely in elderly males and in extended families. Symptoms associated with supernatural cognitive schemas fit in with the cultural background and not with the level of modern education achieved.

Lay Explanations for the Causes of Unemployment in Britain: Economic, Individualistic, Societal, or Fatalistic?

This paper examines explanations for unemployment provided by 900 adults in a large market survey conducted in the United Kingdom. The data are examined in two ways: The first categorizes responses according to economic explanations and the second uses social explanations. These social explanations include individualistic ones where people attribute causes to personal laziness and unwillingness to work, for example, societal causes and inevitable or 'fatalistic explanations. The study contributes to a growing literature on lay explanations for economic events and the structure of these explanations, and discusses implications for future research and the possible role of these lay explanations in legitimizing current government policy.