Abstract
Both race and socioeconomic status (SES) contribute to disparities. We assessed the
relative roles of neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) and race in the chronic
pain experience for young adults (<50 years old). Data from a tertiary care pain center
was matched to 2000 US Census data to examine the role of race and nSES on chronic
pain and its sequelae in 3,730 adults (9.7% black, 61% female) 18 to 49 years old
(37 ± 8 years). Blacks had significantly more pain and disability and lived in lower
SES neighborhoods. Living in a lower SES neighborhood was associated with increased
sensory, affective, and “other” pain, pain-related disability, and mood disorders.
Race was independently associated with affective and “other” pain on the McGill Pain
Questionnaire scales, and both disability factors. Racial disparities in sensory pain
and mood disorders were mediated by nSES. In every case, race and neighborhood SES
played important roles in the outcomes for chronic pain. Age was related to both disability
outcomes. Gender was associated with voluntary disability and mood disorders, with
men displaying worse outcomes.
Perspective
Important racial- and SES-related variability in pain related outcomes in young adults
with chronic pain were defined. Black race was associated with neighborhood SES, and
black race plays an important role in pain outcomes beyond neighborhood SES.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 16, 2012
Accepted:
October 27,
2011
Received in revised form:
September 19,
2011
Received:
March 14,
2011
Footnotes
Supported by the University of Michigan Department of Anesthesiology.
There are no conflicts of any type to disclose.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
