Experiences With Machismo and Pain: Latino Veterans

Abstract

Physical and emotional pain from combat-related injuries and experiences are serious problems among Latino veterans. This study fleshes out existing cultural constructs and concepts (e.g., machismo and familism) from the participants’ point of view and may serve as an important step in unraveling the influence of Latino culture on pain, providing a deeper and more critical theorization between masculinity, race/ethnicity, and the military. Using 26 interviews from U.S.-born Latino veterans, this study analyzes the meanings and experiences of pain from combat, masculinity, and how culture affects expressions of pain. The following themes emerged: (a) Latino culture and ethnicity, (b) machismo and pain, (c) the transforming self, and (d) feeling disconnected and dealing with pain. Overall, respondents were governed by strict gender standards influenced by their ethnic identity and exacerbated by military masculinity. Findings suggest that the study of race/ethnicity acts as a fundamental framework from which to understand the experiences and behaviors of pain.