More than hurt feelings: The wear and tear of day-to-day discrimination in adults with chronic pain.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the extent to which self-reported experiences of discrimination are associated with pain interference among men and women with chronic non-cancer pain.

METHODS: Data are from the Study of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresher Cohort. The analytic sample consisted of 207 adults with chronic pain (54.2 ± 12.8 years; 53.6% female) who completed the Major Experiences of Discrimination and Everyday Discrimination scales. Regression analyses examined cross-sectional relations between discrimination and pain interference.

RESULTS: On average, the level of pain interference was moderate in the sample (M = 3.46, SD = 2.66; observed range 0 - 10). Approximately a third of respondents reported at least one major discriminatory event in their lifetime, while 22% reported 3 or more discriminatory lifetime events. Everyday discrimination scores averaged 14.19 ± 5.46 (observed range 0 - 33). Adjusting for sociodemographics, physical health, cognitive and psychological factors, social isolation, and loneliness, everyday discrimination was associated with increased pain interference (B = .099; 95% confidence interval [CI], .02 to .17).

CONCLUSION: These findings add weight to the importance of day-to-day experiences of interpersonal discrimination by documenting independent associations with functional interference in adults with chronic pain.