Pain Coping in Latino Populations

Abstract 

Although there has been a rapid increase in Latino populations in the United States over the last 10 years, health research with Latino cultural groups is sorely lacking. In the area of pain-coping research, one consequence of the limited research is that very little is known about pain coping among Latinos. The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature on pain coping in Latino populations, and to propose new directions for the future study of pain coping in Latino populations. This review is divided into 4 sections. In the first section, the challenges of defining Latino populations are discussed. In the second section, the current literature on pain coping in Latinos is reviewed. Third, we discuss the implications of existing findings for pain-coping assessment and pain treatment. Finally, we offer ideas for future research on pain coping in Latino populations.

Perspective

In this review article, we identify gaps in our current understanding of pain coping in Latino cultural groups, and associated implications for pain assessment and treatment. We also highlight potential directions for future pain-coping research with Latino populations.

Key words: Pain coping, Latino populations, cultural factors, pain assessment, pain management