Self-care responses to symptoms by older people. A health diary study of illness behavior

Although studies of illness behavior have concentrated on utilization of formal services, recent research has highlighted the importance of lay care. In this article, patterns of self-treatment of symptoms among a sample of older people living in community settings are explored. Data were collected through personal interviews and health diaries completed by a probability sample of 667 elderly people. A majority of respondents managed most symptoms on their own. A decision to take no action was a common response to a number of symptoms. Prescription and over-the-counter medications were the most frequently reported intervention strategies. Multivariate analyses affirmed the importance of both symptom interpretation and symptom experience on lay treatment decisions. Causal attributions and prior experience with symptoms exhibited a less consistent impact on lay care strategies. Whether people ignore or treat symptoms appears to have less to do with their familiarity and causal explanation than with whether or not the symptom causes them pain or discomfort, whether it interferes with their desired activities, or whether they think it might be indicative of a serious decision.