The Common-Sense Model of Illness Representation
(Diefenbach & Leventhal, 1996) was chosen
to guide this study. The model is recursive.
According to the model, it is believed that peopleare active problem solvers who perceive and
interpret information from various sources, then
generate an illness perception relative to symptoms
they are experiencing. Patients generally receive
information from three sources: the generalized
pool of illness information current in the culture, the
social communication or information obtained in
direct contact with other people (particularly
practitioners), and the individual's personal illness