Psychosocial and behavioral indicators of chronic pain among middle-aged and older black men

Abstract There is a lack of data describing the pain experience of Black men. This may be the result of social messaging that men are to project strength and avoid any expression of emotion or vulnerability. This avoidant behavior(s) however, often comes too late when illness/symptoms are more aggressive and/or diagnosed at a later stage. This begins to address two larger issues – the willingness to acknowledge pain and to seek medical attention when experiencing pain. To address this lack of data, this study aimed to determine the influence psychosocial indicators have in the pain experience of Black men 40+ years old. Participants from the Active & Healthy Brotherhood study were categorized based on the pain question from the Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire. Demographics, general health, and psychosocial measures were compared across pain groups. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine predictors of pain, while adjusting for other factors. Results showed that the men (n=303) were mostly married (54%) and employed (53%). Those reporting arthritis (OR=4.5; 95% CI 2.0, 10.0), good health (2.8; 1.2, 6.6), higher somatization (3.2; 1.2, 8.8) compared to excellent/very good self-rated health, were more likely to self-report pain in the past 30 days. Findings from this study show that continued efforts are needed to identify the unique pain experiences of Black men, while recognizing the impact it has on their identity as a man, a person of color, and as a person living with pain.