Making sense of risk: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of vulnerability to heart disease
Senior, V. and Smith, Jonathan A. and Michie, S. and Marteau, T. (2002) Making sense of risk: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of vulnerability to heart disease. Journal of Health Psychology 7 (2), pp. 157-168. ISSN 1359-1053.
Abstract
This study investigates perceptions of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) and its genetic basis in patients diagnosed with, and receiving treatment for, FH. Semistructured interviews were conducted with seven patients. Transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Participants reported engaging in an active process of seeking causes for their FH. FH was invariably attributed to genes. In some cases diet and stress were also considered as causes of FH. Causal attributions appear to be both a determinant and a result of behavioural strategies to reduce risk. On the whole, FH was perceived as unproblematic, a perception that appeared to reflect downward social comparison processes. Nonetheless, participants reported acting in ways consonant with the perception of an increased risk of heart attack, in particular, being vigilant to symptoms of a possible heart attack.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science > School of Psychological Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Sarah Hall |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Mar 2020 16:23 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 17:58 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/31150 |
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