Pain and culture

Pain is a subjective experience and can be culturally influenced.

The healthcare professional must take the patient’s wishes into account. It can be difficult to put one’s own norms and values aside in relation to “oversensitive” people or people who do not show pain emotion. Using pain medication is one way to cope with pain. Pain can be relieved by paying attention, performing ritual activities and prescribing relaxation exercises and placebos.

 

Reference

Mahdi et al. (2020) Intercultural competence and Health Care. Royal van Gorcum B.V