Pain Management· 2012Q2
Ethnic Differences in Pain and Pain Management
- 494citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2012year
Short summary
Ethnic minority individuals report higher pain-related suffering due to disparities in pain prevalence, treatment, and outcomes, influenced by neurophysiological factors, coping strategies, provider bias, and unequal access to analgesics.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Ethnic disparities are evident in pain prevalence, treatment, progression, and outcomes.
- Pain experience differentially activates stress-related physiological responses across ethnic groups.
- Ethnic groups employ differing coping strategies for pain management.
- Healthcare system factors, such as provider bias and analgesic availability, contribute to disparities.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Considerable evidence demonstrates substantial ethnic disparities in the prevalence, treatment, progression and outcomes of pain-related conditions. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying these group differences is of crucial importance in reducing and eliminating disparities in the pain experience. Over recent years, accumulating evidence has identified a variety of processes, from neurophysiological factors to structural elements of the healthcare system, that may contribute to shaping individual differences in pain. For example, the experience of pain differentially activates stress-related physiological responses across various ethnic groups, members of different ethnic groups appear to use differing coping strategies in managing pain complaints, providers' treatment decisions vary as a function of patient ethnicity and pharmacies in predominantly minority neighborhoods are far less likely to stock potent analgesics. These diverse factors, and others may all play a role in facilitating elevated levels of pain-related suffering among individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds. Here, we present a brief, nonexhaustive review of the recent literature and potential physiological and sociocultural mechanisms underlying these ethnic group disparities in pain outcomes.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Pain Management, 2012 · DOI ↗
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Field: Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Anesthesiology and Pain MedicineMedicine