Acute Pain
Volume 9, Issue 1 , Pages 1-6, March 2007

Non-Scandinavian and Scandinavian women's expectations and experiences of acute pain

  • Mia Wallin

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author at: Department of Social and Welfare Studies, Dragsg. 7, SE-601 74 Norrköping, Sweden. Tel.: +46 11 36 35 03; fax: +46 11 12 54 48.
    • ,
  • Ragnhild Raak

Department of Social and Welfare Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Linköping, Sweden

Received 19 August 2006; received in revised form 13 November 2006; accepted 20 November 2006.

Summary 

Background

Cultural or ethnic background has been shown to be significant for how individuals experience pain. The aim of this study was to examine the expectation and experience of acute pain, the use of stress-coping styles, and the distribution of analgesics among non-Scandinavian and Scandinavian women in a dental treatment situation.

Methods

Instruments used were the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Jalowiec Coping Scale (JCS).

Results

Non-Scandinavian women rated both expected and experienced pain significantly higher than Scandinavian women. No significant differences were found in stress-coping styles or in the distribution of analgesics between the two groups.

Conclusion

Nurses in acute pain situations must be aware of the need for appropriate assessment tools as well as the need to be sensitive to variations in both verbal and non-verbal communication styles across cultures.

Keywords: Culture, Nursing, Acute pain, Stress-coping styles, Non-Scandinavian, Scandinavian

 

PII: S1366-0071(06)00207-5

doi:10.1016/j.acpain.2006.11.003

Acute Pain
Volume 9, Issue 1 , Pages 1-6, March 2007

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