The Social Construction of Illness: Key Insights and Policy Implications
Abstract
The social construction of illness is a major research perspective in medical sociology. This article traces the roots of this perspective and presents three overarching constructionist findings. First, some illnesses are particularly embedded with cultural meaning—which is not directly derived from the nature of the condition—that shapes how society responds to those afflicted and influences the experience of that illness. Second, all illnesses are socially constructed at the experiential level, based on how individuals come to understand and live with their illness. Third, medical knowledge about illness and disease is not necessarily given by nature but is constructed and developed by claims-makers and interested parties. We address central policy implications of each of these findings and discuss fruitful directions for policy-relevant research in a social constructionist tradition. Social constructionism provides an important counterpoint to medicine’s largely deterministic approaches to disease and illness, and it can help us broaden policy deliberations and decisions.
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TL;DR
This article reviews the social construction of illness perspective in medical sociology, tracing its roots and synthesizing three key findings: cultural meanings of illness, the socially constructed illness experience, and socially constructed medical knowledge. It argues these findings have policy implications and can broaden policy deliberations by countering medicine’s largely deterministic approaches.
Key findings
- Some illnesses carry cultural meanings not directly derived from biology, shaping social responses and the experience of illness; examples include stigmatized illnesses (e.g., epilepsy, HIV/AIDS), contested illnesses (e.g., chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity), and disability as socially constructed. Policy implication: shift emphasis from biomedically fixing individuals toward changing the social and cultural context that gives illnesses negative meaning.
- All illnesses are socially constructed at the experiential level: people enact illness, construct identity, and manage daily life. Research uses in-depth interviews and insider views; Charmaz describes how chronic illness can shrink worlds, and millions of American women identify as breast cancer survivors and activists. Policy implications include moving from “compliance” to context-centered strategies, using illness narratives in pain management, and addressing lay knowledge and illness identities.
- Medical knowledge is socially constructed by claims-makers and interested parties. Feminist, science studies, and medicalization research show how medical ideas can reproduce gender, class, and racial-ethnic inequality and how diagnoses and markets expand—e.g., male impotence was renamed “erectile dysfunction” in the late 1990s, the FDA approved Viagra in 1998, and Pfizer marketed it to a broader audience. Policy implication: critically examine how problems are framed, because definitions shape policy and can authorize social control.
Methods
- Design: conceptual/review article, not an empirical study; it traces intellectual roots and synthesizes constructionist literature over the last 50 years.
- Data/sample: no original data or sample; it draws on prior sociological, historical, and feminist scholarship and case examples.
- Analysis: organizes key findings under three themes—cultural meanings of illness, illness experience, and medical knowledge—then discusses policy implications and future research directions.
Limitations
- The paper states it does not showcase criticisms of social constructionism, though it acknowledges important critiques: that it may deny the natural world, ignore whether some ideas better represent the world, and reproduce a false binary between real and socially constructed (Hacking 1999). It also notes criticisms/limitations of the disease/illness distinction (Timmermans and Haas 2008) and states its amalgam approach “minimizes important differences between various types of social constructionism.”
- Evident from the text: as a review/essay, it presents no systematic review protocol, no empirical data, and no tested policy outcomes; policy implications are illustrative and drawn from cited literature rather than evaluated here.
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Integrity signals
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Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
1 of 28 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured
- Interpretationcitation§ Abstract · p. 1
All illnesses are socially constructed at the experiential level, based on how individuals come to understand and live with their illness.
“Second, all illnesses are socially constructed at the experiential level, based on how individuals come to understand and live with their illness.”
- Also stated in: § Illness Experience as Socially Constructed · p. 5 · plain
“Another key insight of constructionism is that the illness experience is socially constructed.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked- cites Charmaz 1991
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites Bury 1982 source
- Also stated in: § Illness Experience as Socially Constructed · p. 5 · plain
- Interpretationcitation§ Abstract · p. 1
Medical knowledge about illness and disease is not necessarily given by nature but is constructed and developed by claims-makers and interested parties.
“Third, medical knowledge about illness and disease is not necessarily given by nature but is constructed and developed by claims-makers and interested parties.”
- Also stated in: § Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 7 · hedged
“Eliot Freidson (1970) was probably the first medical sociologist to articulate how medical knowledge is socially constructed.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked- cites Freidson 1970
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites Foucault 1977
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Also stated in: § Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 7 · hedged
- Premisecitation§ Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 7
Medical knowledge is conditioned by the social context in which it is developed.
“The research of medical sociologists in the subfield of science studies also reveals how medical knowledge is conditioned by the social context in which it is developed.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked- cites Joyce 2008
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites Timmermans 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Premisenone given§ Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 8
The engines of medicalization have expanded beyond medical professionals, social movements, and organizations to biotechnology, consumers, and the insurance industry.
“Likewise, the engines of medicalization have expanded beyond medical professionals, social movements, and organizations to biotechnology, consumers, and the insurance industry.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation§ Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 7
The science regarding the cause and treatment of HIV/AIDS is best understood as an amalgam constructed and contested by different constituencies rather than the outcome of 'pure' science.
“In an earlier book, Epstein (1996) similarly underscored the politics of knowledge by demonstrating how the science regarding the cause and treatment of HIV/AIDS is best understood as an amalgam that was constructed and contested by different constituencies (e.g., scientists, doctors, drug companies, patients, and activists) rather than the outcome of 'pure' science.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Epstein 1996
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Interpretationcitation§ Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 7
The new paradigm of biomedical research has the consequence of reifying the categories of race and gender as biological realities.
“Even as this new paradigm offers potential tools for addressing nagging questions about health disparities-e.g., why do black women with breast cancer have higher mortality rates than their white counterparts?-it has the consequence of reifying the categories of race and gender as biological realities.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Epstein 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Premisecitation§ Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 7
A new paradigm of biomedical research emerged beginning in the mid-1980s that proactively included individuals from underrepresented social groups in clinical studies to understand differences between groups in disease processes and treatment outcomes.
“In a recent book Epstein (2007) analyzes the emergence, beginning in the mid-1980s, of a new paradigm of biomedical research that proactively included individuals from underrepresented social groups (e.g., women and racial and ethnic minorities) in clinical studies, with an eye toward understanding the differences between groups with respect to disease processes and treatment outcomes.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Epstein 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Premisecitation§ Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 7
The knowledge produced by the new research paradigm about race and gender is in part the outcome of social and political conflicts and negotiations, as opposed to essential truths found in nature.
“Epstein explains how the knowledge it produces about race and gender are in part the outcome of social and political conflicts and negotiations, as opposed to essential truths found in nature.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Epstein 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Premisecitation§ Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 8
Women's natural reproductive functions (e.g., pregnancy, childbirth, menstruation) are routinely medicalized.
“Over the years, sociologists have shown that women's natural reproductive functions (e.g., pregnancy, childbirth, menstruation) are routinely medicalized (Barker 1998; Riessman 1983; Riska 2003).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked- cites Barker 1998 source
- cites Riessman 1983
- cites Riska 2003
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Interpretationnone given§ Policy Implications of Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 8
Defining obesity as an illness leads policies to focus on solutions such as gastric bypass surgeries rather than examining the role of product promotion by the food industry or the availability of healthy foods in neighborhoods with high rates of obesity.
“When medical perspectives increasingly define obesity as an illness (rather than a risk factor for diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc.), policies focus on solutions such as gastric bypass surgeries, rather than examining the role of product promotion by the food industry or the availability of healthy foods in neighborhoods with high rates of obesity.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation§ Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 7
What qualifies as biological disease or biomedical evidence is often socially negotiated and interpreted.
“Specifically, these scholars explain that what qualifies as biological disease or biomedical evidence is often socially negotiated and interpreted (Joyce 2008; Timmermans 2007).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked- cites Joyce 2008
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites Timmermans 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Premisenone given§ Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 8
Commercial aspects of medicine, especially the pharmaceutical industry, are increasingly important in shaping and disseminating medical knowledge to promote their products.
“There is increasing evidence that commercial aspects of medicine, especially the pharmaceutical industry, are increasingly important in the shaping and disseminating of medical knowledge to promote their products.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
- May combine two claims. 7
- Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 5
May combine two claims.
Interpretationcitation§ Abstract · p. 1Some illnesses are embedded with cultural meaning not directly derived from the nature of the condition, and this meaning shapes societal response and influences illness experience.
“First, some illnesses are particularly embedded with cultural meaning-which is not directly derived from the nature of the condition-that shapes how society responds to those afflicted and influences the experience of that illness.”
- Also stated in: § Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 3 · plain
“certain illnesses have particular social or cultural meanings attributed to them. These meanings adhere to the illness and may have independent consequences on patients and health care.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 2 sources checked- cites Sontag 1978
- cites Barry et al. 2009 source
The introductory discussion of illness metaphors and the “Reasoning by Metaphor” section show how meanings attached to health conditions shape public attitudes and policy responses. The “Obesity Metaphors” section also describes how people who are overweight may be treated badly in work and social settings. The paper does not establish the broader claim that such meanings are independent of a condition’s nature or generally shape the experience of illness. Page numbers were unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
- Also stated in: § Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 3 · plain
Classified as probably not a substantial claim.
Premisecitation§ Keywords · p. 1A social constructionist approach to illness is rooted in the conceptual distinction between disease (the biological condition) and illness (the social meaning of the condition).
“A social constructionist approach to illness is rooted in the widely recognized conceptual distinction between disease (the biological condition) and illness (the social meaning of the condition) (Eisenberg 1977).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Eisenberg 1977 source
May combine two claims.
Interpretationcitation§ Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 4Contested illnesses are medically suspect because they are not associated with any known physical abnormality, and their sufferers are burdened by the cultural meaning of a medically invisible condition.
“Contested illnesses, including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and multiple chemical sensitivity are medically suspect because they are not associated with any known physical abnormality.”
- Also stated in: § Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 4 · plain
“contested illness sufferers are burdened by the cultural meaning of a medically invisible condition in an era of high-tech biomedicine”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked- cites Barker 2005
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites Brown 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites Kroll-Smith and Floyd 1997
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Also stated in: § Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 4 · plain
May combine two claims.
Interpretationcitation§ Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 4Disability cannot be reduced to a mere biological problem located in an individual's body; the body has an impairment while society creates the disability.
“Because the attributes that are deemed disabilities, and the very meaning of being disabled, vary across time and space, disability cannot be reduced to a mere biological problem located in an individual's body”
- Also stated in: § Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 4 · plain
“the body has an impairment (e.g., loss of limb) while society creates the disability”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked- cites Barnes, Mercer, and Shakespeare 1999
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites Oliver 1996
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Also stated in: § Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 4 · plain
May combine two claims.
Interpretationcitation§ Cultural Meanings of Illness · p. 3There is nothing inherent about a condition that makes it stigmatizing; rather, the social response to the condition and some of its manifestations, or the type of individuals who suffer from it, make a condition stigmatized.
“there is nothing inherent about a condition that makes it stigmatizing; rather, it is the social response to the condition and some of its manifestations, or the type of individuals who suffer from it, that make a condition stigmatized”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Conrad 1987
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Classified as probably not a substantial claim.
Premisecitation§ Keywords · p. 1Social constructionism emphasizes that meanings of phenomena do not necessarily inhere in the phenomena themselves but develop through interaction in a social context.
“The emphasis is on how meanings of phenomena do not necessarily inhere in the phenomena themselves but develop through interaction in a social context.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Berger and Luckman 1966
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).
Interpretationnone given§ Policy Implications of Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 8Any policy response to a problem is determined by how the problem is defined or framed in the first place.
“After all, any policy response to a problem is determined by how the problem is defined or framed in the first place.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Interpretationcitation§ Policy Implications of Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 8Warnings about the risks of fetal alcohol syndrome effectively blame individual women and deflect attention away from the well-established links among class, race, and birth outcomes.
“Warnings about the risks of fetal alcohol syndrome effectively blame individual women and deflect attention away from the well-established links among class, race, and birth outcomes (Armstrong 2003).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Armstrong 2003
May combine two claims.
Premisecitation§ Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 8Both the boundaries of the erectile dysfunction diagnosis and the markets for erectile dysfunction drugs expanded enormously.
“Both the boundaries of the ED diagnosis and the markets for ED drugs expanded enormously (Conrad 2007).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Conrad 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
May combine two claims.
Interpretationcitation§ Policy Implications of Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 8Mandating that federally funded clinical studies include individuals from underrepresented subgroups casts the problem of health disparities as rooted in biological differences between racial and ethnic groups and downplays the role of socially structured inequalities.
“When the solution is to mandate that federally funded clinical studies include individuals from underrepresented subgroups, we inadvertently cast the problem as rooted in biological differences between racial and ethnic groups and downplay the role of socially structured inequalities (Epstein 2007).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Epstein 2007
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Premisereasoning§ Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 8Prempro is the latest in the ongoing effort to medically 'treat' menopausal 'symptoms.'
“For example, Prempro, a widely prescribed hormone replacement drug, is just the latest in the ongoing effort to medically 'treat' menopausal 'symptoms,' despite the fact that changes associated with menopause are a common and ordinary aspect of women's reproductive lives.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim- Rests on an assumption: Changes associated with menopause are a common and ordinary aspect of women's reproductive lives.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).
Interpretationnone given§ Policy Implications of Medical Knowledge as Socially Constructed · p. 8Framing anger in women as evidence of the disease PMS, to be treated with antidepressants, trivializes the impact of gender inequality on women's daily lives.
“Framing anger in women as evidence of the disease PMS, to be treated with antidepressants, trivializes the impact of gender inequality on women's daily lives.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
The paper relies on this without support.
Changes associated with menopause are a common and ordinary aspect of women's reproductive lives.
“despite the fact that changes associated with menopause are a common and ordinary aspect of women's reproductive lives.”
The paper relies on this without support.
There is a social predilection toward treating human problems as individual or clinical rather than addressing the underlying causes for complex social problems and human suffering.
“It seems that we have a social predilection toward treating human problems as individual or clinical—whether it be obesity, substance abuse, learning difficulties, aging, or alcoholism—rather than addressing the underlying causes for complex social problems and human suffering.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Compared to 50 years ago, physicians have experienced a relative decline in professional authority.
“Compared to 50 years ago, physicians have experienced a relative decline in professional authority.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Laypeople with illness have a greater voice, and there is greater recognition of that voice.
“Both reflecting and reinforcing this trend, laypeople with illness have a greater voice, and there is also greater recognition of that voice.”
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Sleep and society : sociological ventures into the (un)known--
Williams, S. J. (2005) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 158 · see citing works
Direct to consumer advertising is medicalising normal human experienceFor
Mintzes, B. J. (2002) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.324.7342.908 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
The Fibromyalgia Story: Medical Authority and Women's Worlds of Pain
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The Discovery of Hyperkinesis: Notes on the Medicalization of Deviant Behavior
Conrad, P. (1975) · Social Problems · doi:10.1525/sp.1975.23.1.03a00020 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Self-citationHealth Policy Approaches To Population Health: The Limits Of Medicalization
Lantz, P. M., Lichtenstein, R. L., & Pollack, H. A. (2007) · Health Affairs · doi:10.1377/hlthaff.26.5.1253 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths
Timmermans, S. (2006) · doi:10.5860/choice.44-2426 · Cited by 137
Estimating the costs of medicalization
Conrad, P., Mackie, T. I., & Mehrotra, A. (2010) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.02.019 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Self-citationPostmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths
Haggerty, K. D., & Timmermans, S. (2007) · The Canadian Journal of Sociology · doi:10.2307/20460639 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Bodies in Protest: Environmental Illness and the Struggle over Medical Knowledge
Conrad, P., Kroll‐Smith, S., & Floyd, H. H. (1998) · Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews · doi:10.2307/2654823 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Self-citationOlshansky, E. F., Sacco, D., Fitzgerald, K. C., et al. (2008) · The Science of Diabetes Self-Management and Care · doi:10.1177/0145721708327304 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Magnetic Appeal: MRI and the Myth of Transparency
(2010) · Contemporary Sociology A Journal of Reviews · doi:10.1177/0094306110361590j · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Living with the stigma of AIDS
Weitz, R. (1990) · Qualitative Sociology · doi:10.1007/bf00988594 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Status, Ideology, and Adaptation to Stigmatized Illness: A Study of Leprosy
Gussow, Z., & Tracy, G. S. (1968) · Human Organization · doi:10.17730/humo.27.4.c0077788r2v3p2r7 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Doing things with illness. The micro politics of the CFS clinic
Banks, J., & Prior, L. (2001) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(00)00117-9 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
GENDERING THE MEDICALIZATION THESIS
Riska, E. (2005) · Advances in gender research · doi:10.1016/s1529-2126(03)07003-6 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Mortal Secrets: Truth and Lies in the Age of AIDS
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The Internet and the Experience of Illness
Conrad, P., & Stults, C. D. (2010) · Vanderbilt University Press eBooks · doi:10.2307/j.ctv16h2n9s.14 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Self-citationCategories of Ownership and Responsibility in Social Issues: Alcohol Abuse and Automobile Use
Gusfield, J. R. (1975) · Journal of Drug Issues · doi:10.1177/002204267500500403 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Sociological Perspectives on the Medicalization of Menopause
Bell, S. E. (1990) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1990.tb30325.x · Cited by 53 · see citing works
A Decade of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Judicial Outcomes and Unresolved Problems*
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The 'pinking' of Viagra culture: drug industry efforts to create and repackage sex drugs for women.
Hartley, H. (2006) · Sexualities · doi:10.1177/1363460706065058 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
THE PROBLEMATIC OF “EXPERIENCE”
Markens, S. (1996) · Gender & Society · doi:10.1177/089124396010001004 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Bodies in protest: environmental illness and the struggle over medical knowledge
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Snadden, D., & Brown, J. B. (1992) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/0277-9536(92)90144-f · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Chronic illness as biographical disruption
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Flagged first, then by citations
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- 1987, Research in the Sociology of Health Care, 6, 1
- 1993, The Atlantic, 272, 37
- 10.2307/799511 · DOI
- 1981, The Culture of Public Problems
- 2008, The Biopolitics of Breast Cancer
- 2001, Industrial Relations, 42, 11
- 2004, , Illness, and Medicine, 8, 33
- 1983, Social Policy, 14, 3
- 2003, Advances in Gender Research, 7, 61
- 2006, Politics of Life Itself: Biomedicine, Power and Subjectivity in the Twenty-First Century
- 1989, Epilepsy
- 1992, Social Science and Medicine, 12, 1352
Cited by
Sorted by citations
A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health Second Edition
Scheid, T. L., & Brown, T. N. (2009) · Cited by 1,320 · see citing works
Rosenfield, S., & Mouzon, D. M. (2012) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_14 · Cited by 553 · see citing works
Cultural Diversity and Mental Health: Considerations for Policy and Practice
Gopalkrishnan, N. (2018) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2018.00179 · Cited by 518 · see citing works
Burr, V. (2018) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-10-2779-6_57-1 · Cited by 358 · see citing works
Link, B. G., & Phelan, J. C. (2012) · Handbooks of sociology and social research · doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_25 · Cited by 304 · see citing works
Burr, V. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-10-5251-4_57 · Cited by 270 · see citing works
In BMI we trust: reframing the body mass index as a measure of health
Gutin, I. (2017) · Social Theory & Health · doi:10.1057/s41285-017-0055-0 · Cited by 229 · see citing works
Heinemann (2017) · doi:10.1177/2158244017697154 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
“On the basis of this research focus, we wish to contribute to the ongoing debate in the social sciences on the medicalization of society (Conrad, 2007; Conrad & Barker, 2010; Frances, 2013) as well as the sociology of diagnosis (Jutel, 2009; Jutel & Nettleton, 2011).”
BackgroundBilardi, J., Walker, S. M., Temple-Smith, M. J., McNair, R., Mooney‐Somers, J., Bellhouse, C., Fairley, C. K., Chen, M. Y., & Bradshaw, C. S. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0074378 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
“The cultural and social meanings attributed to an illness can impact on the way in which an illness is viewed and experienced, particularly if an illness is stigmatized [27].”
BackgroundThe Definition of Health: Towards New Perspectives
Leonardi, F. (2018) · International Journal of Health Services · doi:10.1177/0020731418782653 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
Exploring the changes of physical education in the age of Covid-19
Varea, V., González‐Calvo, G., & Monge, A. J. G. (2020) · Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy · doi:10.1080/17408989.2020.1861233 · Cited by 200 · see citing works
Experience of Advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Metasynthesis of Qualitative Research
Disler, R. T., Green, A., Luckett, T., Newton, P. J., Inglis, S. C., Currow, D. C., & Davidson, P. M. (2014) · Journal of Pain and Symptom Management · doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2014.03.009 · Cited by 177 · see citing works
The concept of medicalisation reassessed.
Busfield, J. (2017) · Sociology of Health and Illness · doi:10.1111/1467-9566.12538 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Album, D., Johannessen, L. E. F., & Rasmussen, E. B. (2017) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.03.020 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
“Therefore, “The disease side of the disease/illness conceptual 21 distinction is also ripe for social constructionist analysis, insofar as what gets labeled a disease or 22 qualifies as biological is often socially negotiated” (Conrad and Barker, 2010: S68).”
BackgroundFoucauldian Discourse Analysis: Moving Beyond a Social Constructionist Analytic
Khan, T. H., & MacEachen, E. (2021) · International Journal of Qualitative Methods · doi:10.1177/16094069211018009 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
“Similarly, SC was also echoed in early sociologists’ writings, such as those of Emile Durkheim, Karl Mannheim, and W.I. Thomas (Conrad & Barker, 2010; Gubrium & Koro-Ljungberg, 2005; Vance, 1991).”
BackgroundResultAmbiguous identities of drugs and people: A scoping review of opioid-related stigma
McCradden, M. D., Vasileva, D., Orchanian-Cheff, A., & Buchman, D. Z. (2019) · International Journal of Drug Policy · doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.10.005 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Debating DSM-5: diagnosis and the sociology of critique
Pickersgill, M. D. (2013) · Journal of Medical Ethics · doi:10.1136/medethics-2013-101762 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Health status and quality of life in tuberculosis
Brown, J., Capocci, S., Smith, C. J., Stephen Morris, A., Abubakar, I., & Lipman, M. C. I. (2015) · International Journal of Infectious Diseases · doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2014.12.045 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
“Impairment in HRQOL is a complex construct of influences including physical, mental, and social well-being(3) – thus illness is experienced by individuals, yet cannot be understood independently of the societies in which people live.(4) Although a biological definition of TB infection (i.”
BackgroundLiving With a Contested, Stigmatized Illness
Armentor, J. L. (2015) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732315620160 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
“Contested illnesses, such as FM and chronic fatigue syndrome, are disorders that “are medically suspect because they are not associated with any known physical abnormality” (Conrad & Barker, 2010, p. S70).”
BackgroundMedicalization and overdiagnosis: different but alike
Hofmann, B. (2016) · Medicine Health Care and Philosophy · doi:10.1007/s11019-016-9693-6 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
Matter beginning to matter: On posthumanist understandings of the vital emergence of health
Andrews, G. J., & Duff, C. (2019) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.02.045 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
How to Reduce Stigma and Bias in Clinical Communication: a Narrative Review
Healy, M. E., Richard, A., & Kidia, K. K. (2022) · Journal of General Internal Medicine · doi:10.1007/s11606-022-07609-y · Cited by 114 · see citing works
“We must be aware of the way our language demonstrates the limits of our medical knowledge and in turn reflects and reproduces social inequality.(19) On the positive side, language can be leveraged to combat illness by reframing our understanding of disease and its root causes.”
BackgroundMoyer, C. A., Adongo, P. B., Aborigo, R. A., Hodgson, A., Engmann, C. M., & DeVries, R. (2014) · Maternal and Child Health Journal · doi:10.1007/s10995-013-1240-y · Cited by 111 · see citing works
“Social factors—drawing upon the medical sociological tradition that sees social structure, social interaction, and culture as critical to understanding health, illness, and care seeking [19–23]—may include such things as community and family hierarchies that require women to seek permission before they can go to a fac…”
BackgroundHintz, E. A. (2023) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2022.2081046 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
“…Thompson & Duerringer, 2020; Thompson et al., 2020, 2021), it is prevalent for female-dominant pain syndromes (e.g., Krebs & Schoenbauer, 2020) which are contested, where pain is “medically suspect because they are not associated with any known physical abnormality” (Conrad & Barker, 2010, p. 70).”
BackgroundLovatt, M., Eadie, D. R., Meier, P. S., Li, J., Bauld, L., Hastings, G., & Holmes, J. (2015) · Addiction · doi:10.1111/add.13072 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
“Lay epidemiology fits within a social constructivist ontology which considers social phenomena—in this case illness—not as biological or natural ‘givens’ as in objectivist understandings of the social world, but as concepts that emerge from social interactions, which hold different meanings depending on the cultural a…”
BackgroundTan, C. D. (2018) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.12.008 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
“Within medical sociology, research on biographical self often focuses on experience with illness—interaction with the social meanings and consequences associated with a disease (Conrad and Barker, 2010).”
BackgroundSupport amid uncertainty: Long COVID illness experiences and the role of online communities
Russell, D., Spence, N. J., Chase, J. D., Schwartz, T., Tumminello, C. M., & Bouldin, E. D. (2022) · SSM - Qualitative Research in Health · doi:10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100177 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Fibromyalgia Syndrome Pain in Men and Women: A Scoping Review
Ruschak, I., Montesó-Curto, P., Rosselló, L., Aguilar Martín, C., Sánchez-Montesó, L., & Toussaint, L. (2023) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare11020223 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Phillips, M. J. (2023) · SN Social Sciences · doi:10.1007/s43545-023-00774-9 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Weight stigma and narrative resistance evident in online discussions of obesity
Brún, A. D., McCarthy, M. B., McKenzie, K., & McGloin, A. F. (2013) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2013.09.022 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Could it be colic? Horse-owner decision making and practices in response to equine colic
Scantlebury, C. E., Perkins, E., Pinchbeck, G. L., et al. (2014) · BMC Veterinary Research · doi:10.1186/1746-6148-10-s1-s1 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
“Conrad & Barker [28], in their examination of how people understand illness, identified three main premises; some illnesses are embedded in cultural meaning; all illnesses are socially constructed at the experiential level (i.”
BackgroundInfluentialMental Illness and the Criminal Justice System
Hiday, V. A., & Burns, P. J. (2009) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511984945.029 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Psychological Approaches to Mental Illness
Peterson, C. (2009) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511984945.008 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Medicalisation and Overdiagnosis: What Society Does to Medicine
van Dijk, W., Faber, M. J., Tanke, M. A. C., Jeurissen, P., & Westert, G. P. (2016) · International Journal of Health Policy and Management · doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2016.121 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Diagnostic experience of patients with fibromyalgia – A meta-ethnography
Mengshoel, A. M., Sim, J., Ahlsen, B., & Madden, S. (2017) · Chronic Illness · doi:10.1177/1742395317718035 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Miller, H. E., & Thomas, S. L. (2017) · Addiction Research & Theory · doi:10.1080/16066359.2017.1332182 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Ayebare, E. O., Lavender, T., Mweteise, J., Nabisere, A., Nendela, A., Mukhwana, R., Wood, R., Wakasiaka, S., Omoni, G. M., Kagoda, B. S., et al. (2021) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-021-03912-4 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
“Culture influences ‘norms’ for spirituality, social and gender roles, attitudes towards family, work, health and illness [5, 6] and individual responses to adverse life events [5] including illness or bereavement [7].”
BackgroundThe Stigma of Diseases: Unequal Burden, Uneven Decline
Best, R. K., & Arseniev‐Koehler, A. (2023) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.1177/00031224231197436 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
“Just as health issues are central to stigma research, stigma is a central concept for health research, highlighted in work on the social construction of illness and social determinants of health (Conrad and Barker 2010; Hatzenbuehler et al. 2013).”
BackgroundMarital Status and Mental Health
Williams, K., Frech, A., & Carlson, D. L. (2009) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511984945.020 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Chandratre, P., Mallen, C. D., Roddy, E., et al. (2015) · Clinical Rheumatology · doi:10.1007/s10067-015-3039-2 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
“This belief may be rooted within social constructionism (illnesses are socially constructed at an experiential level which is based upon the individual’s understanding of the disease and perceptions of his or her identity post diagnosis) [25].”
BackgroundGong, F., Xu, J., & Takeuchi, D. T. (2011) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-011-9367-z · Cited by 68 · see citing works
“Second, self-reported health would be particularly useful if respondents suffer from sub-health condition (i.e., a state between health and disease) or contested illnesses (i.e., claimed illnesses that are not recognized or acknowledged by physicians) (Conrad & Barker, 2010).”
Assimilation and emerging health disparities among new generations of U.S. children
Hamilton, E. R., Cardoso, J. B., Hummer, R. A., & Padilla, Y. C. (2011) · Demographic Research · doi:10.4054/demres.2011.25.25 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
“The explanation of changing health practices receives support in medical sociology literature documenting the social and cultural bases of understandings of health (Conrad and Barker 2010).”
BackgroundThe Bodies Politic: Chronic Health Conditions and Voter Turnout in the 2008 Election
Gollust, S. E., & Rahn, W. M. (2015) · Journal of Health Politics Policy and Law · doi:10.1215/03616878-3424450 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Schaepe, K. (2011) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.06.038 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
“…into a distinctive area of research (Blaxter, 1978; Brown, 1995; Jutel, 2009), it has been studied extensively within the literature on the social construction of illness, the social construction of medical knowledge, and in the disease theory literature (Jutel, 2009; Conrad & Barker 2010).”
BackgroundThe invisible and visible stigmatization of Parkinson's disease
Hermanns, M. (2013) · Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners · doi:10.1111/1745-7599.12008 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
“Unfortunately, society tends to stigmatize those who are weak in body (Conrad & Barker, 2010).”
BackgroundDieudonné, M. (2015) · Bioelectromagnetics · doi:10.1002/bem.21937 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
“…the sick role, and make the abnormality of their situation socially acceptable (some subjects managed to get diagnosed with a “contested illness” [Conrad and Barker, 2010] like fibromyalgia (6 subjects) or late Lyme disease (5 subjects), which proved of little avail as in France, these…”
BackgroundCulture, science and the changing nature of fibromyalgia
Wolfe, F., & Walitt, B. T. (2013) · Nature Reviews Rheumatology · doi:10.1038/nrrheum.2013.96 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Observational study of quality of life of P arkinson's patients and their caregivers
Corallo, F., Cola, M. C. D., Buono, V. L., Lorenzo, G. D., Bramanti, P., & Marino, S. (2016) · Psychogeriatrics · doi:10.1111/psyg.12196 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
The origins of the 4 × 4 framework for noncommunicable disease at the World Health Organization
Schwartz, L. N., Shaffer, J. D., & Bukhman, G. (2021) · SSM - Population Health · doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100731 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Terui, S. (2015) · Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health · doi:10.1007/s10903-015-0322-x · Cited by 62 · see citing works
“These difficulties in obtaining proper access to healthcare lead to delayed diagnoses [3] and may encourage individuals to focus on treatment for acute and chronic illness rather than having preventative care with regular sources of primary care [39, 41].”
Well-Being across the Life Course
Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. E. (2009) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511984945.023 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Culturally prescribed beliefs about mental illness among the Akan of Ghana
Tutu, A. O., & Utsey, S. O. (2017) · Transcultural Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/1363461517708120 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
“Cultures have unique ways of constructing illness (Barg & Grier, 2008; Conrad & Barker, 2010; D’Andrade, 1995; Kleinman, Eisenberg, & Good, 1978) that influence perceptions, experience, and coping (Helman, 2001).”
BackgroundMissing Pieces: Engaging Sociology of Disability in Medical Sociology
Mauldin, L., & Brown, R. L. (2021) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/00221465211019358 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Kading, M. L., Hautala, D. S., Palombi, L. C., Aronson, B. D., Smith, R. C., & Walls, M. L. (2015) · Society and Mental Health · doi:10.1177/2156869315570480 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Brady, S. R., Sawyer, J. M., & Perkins, N. H. (2019) · Critical and Radical Social Work · doi:10.1332/204986019x15668424193408 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
“This is what the truth is”: Provider-patient interactions serving as barriers to contraception
Berndt, V. K., & Bell, A. V. (2020) · Health An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health Illness and Medicine · doi:10.1177/1363459320969775 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
“Such objectivity stems from biomedicine’s origin in disease, that is, biological components, rather than illness, which encompasses social meanings of a condition (Conrad and Barker, 2010; Freidson, 1970).”
BackgroundAlper, M., Rauchberg, J. S., Simpson, E., Guberman, J., & Feinberg, S. (2023) · New Media & Society · doi:10.1177/14614448231193091 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
“Theories of medicalization, selfhood, and biosociality (Conrad and Barker, 2010; Rabinow, 1996) offer important insights into how diagnosis and disability identity are collectively and individually negotiated offline and online through platforms like TikTok.”
A Gestão Autônoma da Medicação: uma intervenção analisadora de serviços em saúde mental
Campos, R. T. O., Passos, E., Palombini, A. D. L., et al. (2013) · Ciência & Saúde Coletiva · doi:10.1590/s1413-81232013001000013 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Rebman, A. W., Aucott, J. N., Weinstein, E. R., et al. (2015) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732315619380 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
“As previously described, contested illnesses represent a unique type of chronic illness (Conrad & Barker, 2010).”
BackgroundWright, P. J., Dawson, R. M., & Corbett, C. F. (2020) · Journal of Advanced Nursing · doi:10.1111/jan.14371 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
How medical technologies shape the experience of illness
Hofmann, B., & Svenaeus, F. (2018) · Life Sciences Society and Policy · doi:10.1186/s40504-018-0069-y · Cited by 52 · see citing works
“Third, medical knowledge about illness and underlying diseases is not necessarily given by nature but is constructed and developed by a range of stakeholders (Conrad and Barker, 2010).”
BackgroundSannon, S., Murnane, E. L., Bazarova, N. N., & Gay, G. (2019) · Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3290605.3300583 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
“Some ICIs, such as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, are also "contested illnesses"—that is, both physicians and the public often question the validity of these illnesses, which further stigmatizes people’s illness experience [9].”
BackgroundDavies, F., Edwards, A., Brain, K. E., Edwards, A., Jones, R., Wallbank, R., Robertson, N. P., & Wood, F. (2015) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-007674 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Physical Illness in Gay, Lesbian, and Heterosexual Marriages
Umberson, D., Thomeer, M. B., Reczek, C., & Donnelly, R. (2016) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/0022146516671570 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Shipley, J., Luker, J. A., Thijs, V., & Bernhardt, J. A. (2018) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023525 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
“Therefore, while medicine presents ‘disease’ as an objective biological product that is invariant in time and place, constructionism supports that ‘illness’ is the experience and meaning of the condition and defined within particular social and cultural systems.(22) 23 In the arena of qualitative research, constructio…”
BackgroundMoreira, M. D. F., Gamboa, O. L., & Pinho Oliveira, M. A. (2022) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1002/ejp.1939 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
“…related to daily activities and social functioning acquired during pain and illness experience directly impact the Qol domains and stress levels (Conrad & Barker, 2010; Dezutter et al., 2017; Donatti et al., 2017) and does not necessarily change when the pain decreases (Lovibond et al., 2000;…”
BackgroundFerring, D., & Hausermann, H. (2019) · Annals of the American Association of Geographers · doi:10.1080/24694452.2018.1535885 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
“Failure to engage in protective behaviors, and continuation of illness, can be framed as a lack of responsibility or will (Conrad and Barker 2010; Holmes 2013).”
BackgroundWork and Unemployment as Stressors
Lennon, M. C., & Limonic, L. (2009) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511984945.015 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Hintz, E. A., & Tucker, R. V. (2023) · Human Communication Research · doi:10.1093/hcr/hqad004 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Moloney, M. (2016) · Sociology of Health & Illness · doi:10.1111/1467-9566.12485 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Taylor, B. L., Howard, L. M., Jackson, K., Johnson, S., Mantovani, N., Nath, S., Sokolova, A. Y., & Sweeney, A. (2021) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm10112271 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
“We drew on social constructionist theory [27], taking the position that women’s subjective experiences of motherhood are created through social discourse.”
Method#ActuallyAutistic: Using Twitter to Construct Individual and Collective Identity Narratives
Egner, J. E. (2022) · Studies in Social Justice · doi:10.26522/ssj.v16i2.2675 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Communication Challenges for Chronic Metastatic Cancer in an Era of Novel Therapeutics
Thorne, S. E., Oliffe, J. L., Oglov, V., & Gelmon, K. A. (2013) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732313483926 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Melamed, O. C., Fernando, I., Soklaridis, S., Hahn, M., LeMessurier, K. W., & Taylor, V. H. (2019) · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0706743719862980 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
“Therefore, individuals with a stigmatized illness are much more difficult to treat and manage because they are less likely to seek help for fear of being mistreated by clinicians.(21) Our study population—individuals with SMI who are also at risk of obesity and diabetes—could be considered a stigmatized group, given t…”
BackgroundBilardi, J., Hulme-Chambers, A., Chen, M. Y., Fairley, C. K., Huffam, S., & Tomnay, J. E. (2019) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224616 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
“[17] Sexually transmitted infections (STI), and in particular, HIV, have considerable negative stigma associated with them[8, 18, 19] which can in turn impact on the ways in which people cope with, understand, manage and disclose their HIV diagnosis.”
BackgroundVincenten, C. M., Oudsten, B. L. D., Bos, P. K., Bolder, S. B. T., & Gosens, T. (2019) · Journal of Bone and Joint Infection · doi:10.7150/jbji.28390 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
“Studies on patient-reported outcomes measurements are important to evaluate the true impact of GRA in patients (13).”
BackgroundBergey, M. R., Chiri, G., Freeman, N. L. B., & Mackie, T. I. (2022) · Sociology of Health & Illness · doi:10.1111/1467-9566.13443 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Medicalization: Sociological and Anthropological Perspectives
Conrad, P., & Bergey, M. R. (2015) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-097086-8.64020-5 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Self-citation“But you don’t look sick:” Memorable messages of emerging adulthood autoimmune disease
Gunning, J. N. (2022) · Journal of Social and Personal Relationships · doi:10.1177/02654075221137548 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
“Many symptoms of autoimmune disease are invisible and difficult to detect on bloodwork and scans—such as fatigue, joint, muscle, and nerve pain, and dizziness—resulting in these physical experiences being “contested” by the medical community (Conrad & Barker, 2010).”
BackgroundHenshall, C. L., Greenfield, S., & Gale, N. K. (2016) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732316651252 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
“The interview narratives have illustrated the different ways cancer survivors struggle to make sense of their illness and reclaim their sense of self, as they attempt to come to terms with living with their disease (Conrad & Barker, 2010), so they can feel valued and integrated in society.”
BackgroundTheory of communicative (dis)enfranchisement: introduction, explication, and application
Hintz, E. A., & Scharp, K. M. (2024) · Journal of Communication · doi:10.1093/joc/jqae002 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
It’s not all bad: Women’s construction and lived experience of positive premenstrual change
King, M., & Ussher, J. M. (2012) · Feminism & Psychology · doi:10.1177/0959353512440351 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“Email: marlee.king@uws.edu.au The social construction of illness is now a major research concern for medical sociologists and critical health psychologists, contributing to our understanding of the social dimensions of health and illness (Conrad and Barker, 2010).”
BackgroundPawson, M., & Grov, C. (2018) · Sociology of Health & Illness · doi:10.1111/1467-9566.12765 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health
(2017) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781316471289 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Horwitz, A. V. (2009) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511984945.004 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Social Security Work Disability and Its Predictors in Patients With Fibromyalgia
Wolfe, F., Walitt, B. T., Katz, R. S., & Häuser, W. (2014) · Arthritis Care & Research · doi:10.1002/acr.22305 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Wilson, C., & Cook, C. M. (2018) · Journal of Clinical Nursing · doi:10.1111/jocn.14319 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
“A social constructionist approach (Burr, 2003; Conrad & Barker, 2010) exposes the tacit gendered, sociocultural and historically located meanings that shape how motherhood is understood.”
BackgroundDietary responses to a multiple sclerosis diagnosis: a qualitative study
Russell, R., Black, L. J., Sherriff, J. L., et al. (2018) · European Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.1038/s41430-018-0252-5 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
“As the analysis progressed, the theoretical perspective of social constructivism was applied to the emerging themes, where illness is constructed through the understanding of social realities resulting in multiple realities about the meaning of a disease and impact on everyday life [35].”
BackgroundCoventry, P. A., Dickens, C. M., & Todd, C. J. (2014) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.07.068 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
“The most mature expression of this embodied brand of sociology is found in the sociology of health and illness, especially in relation to accounts about the consequences of living with chronic illness for self and self-identity (Conrad and Barker, 2010).”
‘Just choose the easy option’: students talk about alcohol use and social influence
Hepworth, J., McVittie, C., Schofield, T., et al. (2015) · Journal of Youth Studies · doi:10.1080/13676261.2015.1059928 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Prosen, M., & Krajnc, M. T. (2013) · Revija za sociologiju · doi:10.5613/rzs.43.3.3 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Context and complexity: the meaning of self‐management for older adults with heart disease
Moore, L., Frost, J., & Britten, N. (2015) · Sociology of Health & Illness · doi:10.1111/1467-9566.12316 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
The Social Construction of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Using Social Media Technologies
Frohlich, D. O. (2016) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2015.1077690 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
“Social constructionists believe that there is “nothing inherent about a condition that makes it stigmatizing” (Conrad & Barker, 2010, p. S69).”
BackgroundBey, G., Waring, M. E., Jesdale, B. M., & Person, S. D. (2018) · American Journal of Orthopsychiatry · doi:10.1037/ort0000301 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
“…supporting a strong association between psychological trauma and chronic strain resulting from structural inequity (Chae, Lincoln, & Jackson, 2011; Conrad & Barker, 2010; Langner & Michael, 1963; Meyer, 2003) points to the potential role of social stratification in causing race, gender, and class…”
BackgroundParticipatory appraisal of the impact of epizootic lymphangitis in Ethiopia
Scantlebury, C. E., Zerfu, A., Pinchbeck, G. P., et al. (2015) · Preventive Veterinary Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2015.03.012 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Maley, M., Warren, B. S., & Devine, C. M. (2013) · Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2012.10.009 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Understanding stigma in chronic health conditions: Implications for nursing
Engebretson, J. C. (2013) · Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners · doi:10.1111/1745-7599.12009 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
“Conrad and Barker (2010) described two other contemporary models: contested illness and disability empowerment.”
BackgroundInfluentialPTSD in the U.S. military, and the politics of prevalence
Fisher, M. (2014) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.05.051 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
“I place particular emphasis on the cultural meaningsdmost notably, perceptions of prevalencedattached to PTSD via the actions of claims-makers and interested parties who influence and construct the disorder (Conrad and Barker, 2010).”
BackgroundThe politics of securing borders and the identities of disease
Taylor, R. C. R. (2013) · Sociology of Health & Illness · doi:10.1111/1467-9566.12009 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Neave, P. E., Behrens, R. H., & Jones, C. O. H. (2014) · Malaria Journal · doi:10.1186/1475-2875-13-287 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
“That is, the approaches to malaria prevention and responses to an episode of malaria illness are socially constructed [24,25].”
Background
- Authors
- Conrad, P., & Barker, K. K.
- Affiliations
- Brandeis University (US)
- Oregon State University (US)
- ORCID
- Barker, Kristin K.
- Venue
- Journal of Health and Social Behavior
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2010-03
- Volume
- 51
- Issue
- 1_suppl
- Pages
- S67-S79
- ISSN
- 0022-1465 (ISSN-L)
- 2150-6000
- OpenAlex
- W2105392510
- Semantic Scholar
- daba8e41984f917378dc8db2be9f01f2883d3625
- Cited by
- 888
- References
- 82
- Citations by year
- 2026: 38 · 2025: 66 · 2024: 48 · 2023: 65 · 2022: 77 · 2021: 81 · 2020: 54 · 2019: 79 · 2018: 57 · 2017: 95 · 2016: 52 · 2015: 60 · 2014: 38 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 20
- FWCI
- 13.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Health and Social Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Medicine, History, and Philosophy
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health, Medicine and Society
- Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative research in health
- Keywords
- social construction of illness, medical sociology, illness experience, claims-making, health policy, policy-relevant research
- MeSH terms
- Culture, Disease, Health Policy, Health Services Research, Humans, Public Opinion, Social Problems, Sociology, Medical, Knowledge
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
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