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Language Used by Korean and Korean American Children to Describe Emotional Reactions to Illness and Hospitalization

University of South Carolina

Roxie Foster, PhD, RN, FAAN

University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center/The Children's Hospital at Denver

Sufen Cheng, PhD, RN

National Taipei College of Nursing

Most children experience emotional distress during hospitalization. However, existing instruments for assessing emotional status in hospitalized children have limitations. To address this, the authors determine the language that Korean and Korean American children use to describe emotions that may relate to illness and hospitalization. Using a descriptive exploratory design, projective method, and card sort, the study is conducted in six Korean ethnic churches in the Midwest metropolitan area of United States and uses a convenience sample consisting of 94 children, ages 7 to 12 years. Fifteen English emotion words and 13 Korean emotion words are chosen by at least 50% of the Korean-American and Korean children, and children's emotional responses are expressed differently in Korean and English. Health care providers should be cautious about direct translation, because cultural nuances can convey different meanings in another language. In preparation for the rapid growth of minority children in the United States, health care providers should understand cultural perspectives related to minority children's experiences of health and illness and provide linguistically and culturally appropriate care.

Key Words: Korean American children • emotional responses • hospitalization • illness

This version was published on April 1, 2009

Journal of Transcultural Nursing, Vol. 20, No. 2, 176-186 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1043659608330060


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