Social and Cultural Construction of Urinary Incontinence among Korean American Elderly Women

doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2008.01.002

Geriatric Nursing

Volume 29, Issue 2, March–April 2008, Pages 105-111

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2008.01.002 Get rights and content

The purpose of this article is to describe the social and cultural constructions that influence help-seeking for urinary incontinence (UI) among Korean American elderly women. Many Korean American elder women do not perceive UI as a problem worthy of attention. The reason may lie in its social and cultural construction. The social construction is rooted in the collectivist nature of Korean culture, which makes UI a family, rather than an individual, problem. The cultural construction is related to Confucianism, which directs conceptions about ageism, shame, and fatalism. This article will help the gerontological nurse to better understand Korean American elderly women’s sociocultural background related to UI care and could lead to appropriate family centered interventions to manage or treat UI in this population.

Section snippets

Background

Called the “silent epidemic,” UI is not a life-threatening condition, but it is a worldwide problem that affects the quality of life in women of all cultural groups. It has significant physical, psychological, social, and economic consequences. In the United States and other industrialized countries, sensitive topics, such as UI and sexual dysfunction, are now discussed more openly among women between the ages of 20 to 45.⁷ However, older ethnic minority women suffering from UI are still

The Social and Cultural Construction of UI among Korean American Women

UI in Korean American women can be examined from 2 perspectives: social and cultural. From the social perspective, UI is linked to questions of social integration in Western society.¹⁵ The inability of a person to master bladder training, to eliminate only at appropriate times and places, is a symbolic and literal negation of social integration.¹⁶ From the cultural perspective, urination and defecation are rendered private and kept hidden from the eyes of others.¹⁵ Table 1 summarizes the

Implications for Nursing Practice

Information about the social and cultural construction of UI could provide the gerontological nurse with a better understanding of UI care in older Korean American women and could lead to appropriate family-centered interventions to manage or treat UI in this population. For example, Korean American elderly women may benefit from a female health care provider who makes the initial queries about urinary leakage. UI should be defined in a culturally appropriate way and effective interventions for

Conclusion

Although UI is a treatable condition, Korean American women continue to suffer psychologically, socially, and physically from this problem. The paucity of research on the sociocultural construction of UI in elderly Korean American women suggests that health care providers may only have limited insights into the transcultural aspects of UI management. Understanding social and cultural factors that influence HSB among Korean American elderly women with UI is fundamental because these may be

Acknowledgments

This article is a part of Youngmi Kang, PhD, RN dissertation. Kang Y. Predictors of help-seeking among community-dwelling Korean American women with urinary incontinence [doctoral dissertation]. Tucson: University of Arizona; 2007.

YOUNGMI KANG, PhD, RN, College of Nursing, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.

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YOUNGMI KANG, PhD, RN, College of Nursing, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.

NEVA L. CROGAN, PhD, APRN, BC, GNP, FNGNA, Associate Professor, The University of Arizona, College of Nursing, Tucson, AZ.

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NGNA sectionSocial and Cultural Construction of Urinary Incontinence among Korean American Elderly Women

Section snippets

Background

The Social and Cultural Construction of UI among Korean American Women

Implications for Nursing Practice

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Obstetr Gynecol

Midwifery

Int J Gynaecol Obstetr

Cancer Nurs

Int J Nurs Studies

J Urol

Urinary incontinence in primary care: a comparison of older African-American and Caucasian women

Int Urol Nephrol

The ethnic cultural and social aspects of incontinence—a pilot study

Int Urogynecol J

Pakistani women’s perceptions and experiences of incontinence

Nurs Stand

Population census

The prevalence of urinary incontinence of the women in Daegu

Yeungnam University J Med

Why older community-dwelling adults do not discuss urinary incontinence with their primary care physicians

J Am Geriatr Soc

The prevalence and determinants of health care-seeking behavior for urinary incontinence in United Arab Emirates women

Int Urogynecol J

An exploration of help-seeking behavior in older people with urinary incontinence

Fam Pract

Factors associated with women’s decisions to seek treatment for urinary incontinence

J Womens Health

What prevents older people from seeking treatment for urinary incontinence?A qualitative exploration of barriers to the use of community continence services

Fam Pract

Exploring women’s beliefs regarding urinary incontinence

Urol Nurs

Toward a sociology of (gendered) disgust

J Fam Issues

Part and parcel of being a woman: female urinary incontinence and constructions of control

Med Anthropol Q

The social and ethno-cultural construction of masculinity and femininity in African proverbs

African Study Monogr

The cholera years: the United States in 1832, 1849, and 1866

Stigma, social risk, and health policy: public attitudes toward HIV surveillance policies and the social construction of illness

Health Psychol

NGNA section
Social and Cultural Construction of Urinary Incontinence among Korean American Elderly Women