Religious and philosophical factors
Religion was related to pain among Mexican-
American informants. Adults and children considered
God as a source of pain, but also as a provider of help. To
get help for the pain, they used prayers, visits to religious
shrines and promises to saints or the Virgin Mary
(Villarruel, 1995.)
Kinship and social factors
Kinship and social factors were identified among
informants in USA and Taiwan. Mexican-Americans
described feeling the pain of others, reflecting the
interrelation of pain experienced by the individual, family
and community. They linked pain with inability to
perform expected roles within the family. Additionally,
they tried to manage the pain within the context of the
home. Especially men relied on others in caring for self
(Villarruel, 1995.)
Taiwanese children were concerned about pain and
hospitalisation because they prevented them from being
with their friends. Additionally, they were worried about
being hospitalised because of pain because it would
weaken their academic performance at school (Cheng et
al., 2003.)