Exploring Perception of Chronic Hepatitis C: An Idiographic Case Study

Abstract

The disease Hepatitis C has devastating impact on the individual and their family members. This study demonstrates the case of a 45 year old woman suffering from chronic Hepatitis C. The methods of data collection employed were Mental Status Examination and semi-structured interview. Furthermore, the participant‟s caregiver (sister) was also interviewed. For this purpose, two separate interview schedules were prepared. Data was interpreted by using Interpretative Phenomenological Approach. The most dominant themes extracted within this study were overshadowing physical health; psychological and emotional distress; coping with disease; and social support from family members. In addition, the study showed that the perception of social support and coping have an influence on chronic Hepatitis C individuals. The present study‟s findings would be fruitful for Pakistani people in enhancing their understanding about chronic Hepatitis C.