Publication Date
12-2013
Advisor(s) - Committee Chair
Dr. Jerry Daday (Director), Dr. Steve Groce, Dr. Donielle Lovell
Degree Program
Department of Sociology
Degree Type
Master of Arts
Abstract
Although Talcott Parsons’s sick role theory, as described in 1951 in The Social System, has been severely criticized for its inapplicability to chronic illnesses, a portion of the theory is still a relevant and necessary factor in terms of understanding and treating chronic illness today. Using data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey, this study looks at the individual effects of sex, age, race, cohabitation, education and region of residence on the likelihood of chronically ill patients considering themselves limited in their amount or kind of work as an indicator of sick role adaptation. Results show statistically significant relationships between work limitation and sex, age, cohabitation, education and region of residence, when controlling for the duration of the respondents’ condition. Further evaluation of these results is provided.
Disciplines
Inequality and Stratification | Medicine and Health | Public Health Education and Promotion | Sociology
Recommended Citation
Byrd, Angela D., "Structure Matters: Examining Illness Behavior Using Parsons's Sick Role" (2013). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 1310.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1310
Included in
Inequality and Stratification Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons