Abstract
Objective: Although numerous studies have reported ethnic differences in the prevalence and severity of clinical pain, little is known about how these differences affect the perception of experimental pain. The present experiment examined the effects of ethnicity (African American vs. white) on thermal pain responses in a healthy undergraduate population. Methods: Thirty white subjects (16 women and 14 men) and 18 African Americans (10 women and 8 men) participated in the study. Thermal testing included evaluation of the following: warmth thresholds, thermal pain thresholds, thermal pain tolerances, and magnitude estimates of both the intensity and unpleasantness of thermal pain (at 46°, 47°, 48°, and 49°C). Results: Although no group differences emerged for warmth thresholds, thermal pain thresholds, or pain intensity ratings, African Americans demonstrated lower thermal pain tolerances than whites. In addition, African Americans had smaller slopes and larger intercepts than whites for ratings of pain unpleasantness. Additional analyses suggested that these findings were a consequence of group differences in thermal pain unpleasantness ratings at the lowest temperatures assessed (46°and 47°C); at these temperatures, African Americans rated the stimuli as more unpleasant than whites. Finally, group differences in thermal pain tolerance and thermal pain unpleasantness ratings seemed to partially account for greater self-reported daily pain symptoms among African Americans. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings seem to suggest ethnic differences in the perception of the affective-motivational dimension of thermal pain.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 346-354 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Psychosomatic Medicine |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - May 1999 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Ethnicity
- Pain sensitivity
- Race
- Thermal pain
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Psychology(all)
Cite this
Ethnic differences in thermal pain responses. / Edwards, Robert R.; Fillingim, Roger B.
In: Psychosomatic Medicine, Vol. 61, No. 3, 05.1999, p. 346-354.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Ethnic differences in thermal pain responses
AU - Edwards, Robert R.
AU - Fillingim, Roger B.
PY - 1999/5
Y1 - 1999/5
N2 - Objective: Although numerous studies have reported ethnic differences in the prevalence and severity of clinical pain, little is known about how these differences affect the perception of experimental pain. The present experiment examined the effects of ethnicity (African American vs. white) on thermal pain responses in a healthy undergraduate population. Methods: Thirty white subjects (16 women and 14 men) and 18 African Americans (10 women and 8 men) participated in the study. Thermal testing included evaluation of the following: warmth thresholds, thermal pain thresholds, thermal pain tolerances, and magnitude estimates of both the intensity and unpleasantness of thermal pain (at 46°, 47°, 48°, and 49°C). Results: Although no group differences emerged for warmth thresholds, thermal pain thresholds, or pain intensity ratings, African Americans demonstrated lower thermal pain tolerances than whites. In addition, African Americans had smaller slopes and larger intercepts than whites for ratings of pain unpleasantness. Additional analyses suggested that these findings were a consequence of group differences in thermal pain unpleasantness ratings at the lowest temperatures assessed (46°and 47°C); at these temperatures, African Americans rated the stimuli as more unpleasant than whites. Finally, group differences in thermal pain tolerance and thermal pain unpleasantness ratings seemed to partially account for greater self-reported daily pain symptoms among African Americans. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings seem to suggest ethnic differences in the perception of the affective-motivational dimension of thermal pain.
AB - Objective: Although numerous studies have reported ethnic differences in the prevalence and severity of clinical pain, little is known about how these differences affect the perception of experimental pain. The present experiment examined the effects of ethnicity (African American vs. white) on thermal pain responses in a healthy undergraduate population. Methods: Thirty white subjects (16 women and 14 men) and 18 African Americans (10 women and 8 men) participated in the study. Thermal testing included evaluation of the following: warmth thresholds, thermal pain thresholds, thermal pain tolerances, and magnitude estimates of both the intensity and unpleasantness of thermal pain (at 46°, 47°, 48°, and 49°C). Results: Although no group differences emerged for warmth thresholds, thermal pain thresholds, or pain intensity ratings, African Americans demonstrated lower thermal pain tolerances than whites. In addition, African Americans had smaller slopes and larger intercepts than whites for ratings of pain unpleasantness. Additional analyses suggested that these findings were a consequence of group differences in thermal pain unpleasantness ratings at the lowest temperatures assessed (46°and 47°C); at these temperatures, African Americans rated the stimuli as more unpleasant than whites. Finally, group differences in thermal pain tolerance and thermal pain unpleasantness ratings seemed to partially account for greater self-reported daily pain symptoms among African Americans. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings seem to suggest ethnic differences in the perception of the affective-motivational dimension of thermal pain.
KW - Ethnicity
KW - Pain sensitivity
KW - Race
KW - Thermal pain
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0032967568&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0032967568&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
VL - 61
SP - 346
EP - 354
JO - Psychosomatic Medicine
JF - Psychosomatic Medicine
SN - 0033-3174
IS - 3
ER -