Ethnicity and the pain experience

Defining Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pain Management

“…African Americans have higher levels of comorbid depression and/or anxiety, fear, and helplessness than whites [13,41,67,78] African Americans are more likely to attribute pain to personal inadequacies than whites [58] Overt behavioral expression of pain; verbal expressions; pain reporting; pain coping strategies; healthcare seeking; activity/role interference and restrictions African Americans are more likely than whites to underreport pain unpleasantness, especially in the presence of physicians perceived as ''higher social status'' [52] African Americans and Hispanics are more likely than whites to believe health professionals did not believe them when they reported being in pain [74] African Americans experience greater activity interference at comparable pain level than whites or Hispanics [6,48,50,51,61] African Americans are more likely to use passive pain coping strategies (prayer, pain catastrophizing) [41,92] African Americans and Hispanics are more afraid than whites of opioid addiction risk [3,23] Volume 469, Number 7, July 2011 Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Pain Management 1863 recognized knowledge regarding pain conditions and pain management principles and strategies, especially the pharmacology and prescribing guides for pain medications, are not well covered in medical undergraduate and specialty education. Physicians' lack of such knowledge and the resultant discomfort in pain management skill level have been advanced as important contributors to the observed racial/ethnic disparities [2,13,100].…”

Variables affecting the reporting of pain following an acute myocardial infarction

“…Variables such as age, gender, anxiety and attention to pain, socioeconomic factors, ethnicity and cultural differences, perceived control, social modeling, personality attributes, and the nurse-patient interaction have all been shown to affect an individual's response to pain (Lander et al, 1989;Lipton & Marbach, 1984;Litt, 1988;Malow, West, & Sutker, 1989;Moss & Meyer, 1966;Prkachin, Currie, & Craig, 1983;Wise, Hall, & Wong, 1978;Zborowski, 1952). A discussion of the effects of these factors which contribute to the experience of pain is presented below.…”

“…Numerous clinical and experimental studies have been conducted to learn more about pain, and the factors that influence its perception (Beecher, 1956;Chen, Dworkin, Haug, & Gehrig, 1989 Lipton & Marbach, 1984;Volicer, 1978;Voshall, 1980;Weisenberg, Kreindler, Schachat, & Werboff, 1975;Zborowski, 1952;Zola, 1966).…”

“…However, the validity of the results are questionable, since socioeconomic variables were not controlled, and may have affected the findings (Lipton & Marbach, 1984). Woodrow, Friedman, Siegelaub, and Collen (1972) administered a pain tolerance test to 41,119 subjects as part of a physical examination screening.…”

Prospective Integration of Cultural Consideration in Biomedical Research for Patients with Advanced Cancer: Recommendations from an International Conference on Malignant Bowel Obstruction in Palliative Care

“…Variations in the experience and meaning of symptoms, such as pain, are known to exist within and across cultural groups (13,(16)(17)(18). Perhaps even more apparent and recognized is the tremendous diversity in perspectives and traditions around the process of dying and end of life (19)(20)(21)(22)(23).…”