Culture and Gender Effects in Pain Beliefs and the Prediction of Pain Tolerance

The goals of this study were (a) to explore beliefs about appropriate or normative pain responses among college students in the United States and India and (b) to examine differences in pain tolerance and intensity ratings and the role beliefs play in predicting pain tolerance. Scales to assess beliefs about appropriate pain responses in males and females were completed by college students in both countries. Ratings of pain intensity were then obtained following the cold pressor test. Results indicated that participants in India were less accepting of overt pain expression than those in the United Cross-Cultural Research, Vol. 34 No. 2, May 2000 135-151 States. Females believed that overt pain expression was more appropriate than did males. Consistent with their beliefs, Indian participants had higher pain tolerance than those in the United States, and males had higher pain tolerance than females. Reported pain intensity predicted 28% of the variance in pain tolerance, whereas beliefs predicted an additional 5%.