Melissa A. Day|Beverly E. Thorn
The relationship of demographic and psychosocial variables to pain-related outcomes in a rural chronic pain population
University of Alabama|University of Alabama
rural residency low socioeconomic status ses associated increased likelihood chronic pain demographics also differentially associated experience pain study examines relations demographic painrelated variables virtually unstudied population rural alabama chronic pain patients one hundred fifteen patients completed validated measures pain catastrophizing depression pain intensity pain interference perceived disability life satisfaction average age study participants 52years 79 female 74 africanamerican 72 reported annual income 0000012999 61 unemployed although average years reported education 1226 reading level percentile primary literacy indicant 1733 crosssectional multivariate univariate analyses conducted examine associations among demographic psychosocial variables relation various pretreatment painrelated variables mediating role pain catastrophizing depression investigated results indicate race significantly associated pain intensity pain interference africanamericans reported higher scores whiteamericans pain catastrophizing uniquely associated pain intensity pain interference perceived disability depression uniquely associated pain interference life satisfaction pain catastrophizing mediated relation primary literacy pain intensity age effects differentially mediated either pain catastrophizing depression analyses provide insight specific demographic psychosocial factors associated chronic pain lowliteracy lowses rural population