中華心理衛生協會

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe cultural meanings related to the pain experience among three Han and Aboriginal groups in Taiwan. Methods: Ethnography was the methodology used in this study. Twenty-one patients with acute fracture pain (6 from the Atayal Aboriginal group, 7 from the Amis Aboriginal group, and 8 Han Chinese) were selected from the orthopedic units of a teaching hospital in eastern Taiwan. Data collected consisted of patient information, participant observations and in-depth interviews based on a series of open-ended questions, which focused on the interviewee's pain experience. Content analysis was used in the study. Results: The results demonstrated three themes, pain expression, pain beliefs, and opioid analgesic-utilized beliefs. Suppressed expression towards pain was characteristic of the pain reactions of the Atayal. The pain reactions of the Amis tended to be directly expressed emotions. In the Hans, pain reactions tend to be rational expressed emotions. The pain belief of the Hans is a rational/knowledgeable orientation towards disease prognosis. However, the Atayal expected pain relief immediately, and the pain belief tended to affective orientation. The difference in patients' pain beliefs among the three ethnic groups will inevitably influence physician-patient relationships as well as opioid analgesic-utilized beliefs. In the Hans, a negative belief towards opioid analgesics tended to decrease willingness to use these drugs. However, the opioid analgesic belief of the Atayal was positive. A positive opioid analgesic belief tended to increase willingness to relay on medicine to relieve pain. Conclusions: This study suggests that if clinicians and nurses take the emic perspective of cross-cultural comparative results when dealing with the problem of pain, as well as perceive the variety of patient's suffering and pain, they can understand the nature of the problem of pain so as to increase the patient's well-being.