Pain in cultural and communicative contexts
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199642656.003.0011
Pain and culture are complex and multifactorial phenomena. They defy objectification, isolation, and simplification. They can neither be defined nor measured easily, since they intersect with the biological, psychological, and social realms. Taking into account the intrinsic multidimensionality of each phenomenon, we are only beginning to understand the myriad of ways in which culture may influence pain. As a consequence, (1) the study of the relationship between culture and pain is fraught with methodological and theoretical challenges; and (2) there is no conclusive evidence to support specific guidelines on how to assess and treat pain of specific cultural groups.
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