Highlights
- •We meta-analyzed differences in pain coping between white and black Americans.
- •Overall, black individuals use coping strategies more frequently.
- •Race differences in pain coping are largest for praying and catastrophizing.
- •Research is needed to better understand the influence of culture in this context.
Abstract
Compared with white individuals, black individuals experience greater pain across
clinical and experimental modalities. These race differences may be due to differences
in pain-related coping. Several studies examined the relationship between race and
pain coping; however, no meta-analytic review has summarized this relationship or
attempted to account for differences across studies. The goal of this meta-analytic
review was to quantify race differences in the overall use of pain coping strategies
as well as specific coping strategies. Relevant studies were identified using electronic
databases, an ancestry search, and by contacting authors for unpublished data. Of
150 studies identified, 19 met inclusion criteria, resulting in 6,489 participants
and 123 effect sizes. All of the included studies were conducted in the United States.
Mean effect sizes were calculated using a random effects model. Compared with white
individuals, black individuals used pain coping strategies more frequently overall
(standardized mean difference [d] = .25, P < .01), with the largest differences observed for praying (d = .70) and catastrophizing
(d = .40). White individuals engaged in task persistence more than black individuals
(d = −.28). These results suggest that black individuals use coping strategies more
frequently, specifically strategies associated with poorer pain outcomes. Future research
should examine the extent to which the use of these strategies mediates race differences
in the pain experience.
Perspective
Results of this meta-analysis examining race differences in pain-related coping indicate
that, compared with white individuals, black individuals use coping strategies more
frequently, specifically those involving praying and catastrophizing. These differences
in coping may help to explain race differences in the pain experience.
Key words
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: January 12, 2016
Footnotes
All authors have read and approved the manuscript, and all have contributed substantially to data analysis and manuscript preparation. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Preliminary results from this study were presented in a poster session at the 2015 meeting of the American Pain Society.
This work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health awarded to A.T.H. ( R01MD008931 ).
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
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© 2016 by the American Pain Society
