<1> Accession Number Journal Article: 73-12333. Authors Meyer, Daniel; Leventhal, Howard; Gutmann, Mary. Institution U Wisconsin, Madison. Title Common-sense models of illness: The example of hypertension. Source Health Psychology. Vol 4(2) 115-135, 1985. Abstract Hypothesized that actions taken to reduce health risks are guided by the actor's subjective or common-sense constructions of the health threat and that illness threats are represented by their labels and symptoms (their identity), their causes, consequences, and duration. These attributes are represented at 2 levels: as concrete, immediately perceptible events and as abstract ideas. Both levels guide coping behavior. 230 patients were interviewed about hypertension, presumably an asymptomatic condition. When asked if they could monitor blood pressure changes, 46% of 50 nonhypertensive, clinic control cases said yes, as did 71% of 65 patients new to treatment, 92% of 50 patients in continuing treatment, and 94% of 65 re-entry patients who had previously quit and returned to treatment. Patients in the continuing treatment group, who believed the treatment had beneficial effects on their symptoms, reported complying with medication and were more likely to have their blood pressure controlled. Patients new to treatment were likely to drop out of treatment if (1) they had reported symptoms to the practitioner at the 1st treatment session, or (2) they construed the disease and treatment to be acute. Data suggest that patients develop implicit models or beliefs about disease threats, which guide their treatment behavior, and that the initially most common model of high blood pressure is based on prior acute, symptomatic conditions. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Copyright 1986 American Psychological Assn, all rights reserved).