Experiences of Indonesian Mother Managing Preschool Children's Acute Abdominal Pain in Taiwan

•Management for children's abdominal pain among Indonesian mothers in transnational marriages was affected by their family, living environment, cultural background and religious beliefs.•Feelings of anxiousness and the uncertainty emerged among the Indonesian mothers due to a lack of reading and writing capabilities as they sought medical treatment for their children.•Healthcare providers need to understand the challenges facing the Indonesian mothers in child-care to prevent helplessness and frustration, and the limited access to health information.

The aim of this study was to understand the Indonesian mothers' experiences of managing preschool children's acute abdominal pain. The descriptive qualitative research design comprises semi-structured interviews with 11 Indonesian mothers. The qualitative content analysis revealed three themes, including (1) insight of abdominal pain, (2) “inheritance of the strategies for assessment of management for abdominal pain from the family of origin”, (3) “obstacles and insights related to cultural differences”. The results presented that pain management was affected by family, environment, cultural background and religious beliefs. Healthcare providers should provide culturally competent pain management care for the patients of difference nationalities.