WHY DO MOTHERS CONSULT WHEN THEIR CHILDREN COUGH

Mothers' beliefs and evaluations of their child's illness were studied in a group of 30 mothers who had consulted a general practitioner bec ause of a cough. Data were collected by tape-recorded semi-structured interviews conducted in their own homes. A major concern for mothers w as their fear that their child was going to die, usually because of ch oking on phlegm or vomit, but also through an asthma attack or cot dea th. Mothers were also worried that their child would develop long-term chest damage. Particularly important in mothers' assessments were the ir experience of disturbed sleep because of worries about their child dying at night and their belief that the cough was 'on the chest' whic h gave rise to worries about dying through choking on phlegm and long- term chest damage. Antibiotics were commonly believed to be required t o break up phlegm which might cause the long-term damage or the chokin g and death.