Background & Aims

There are well-documented racialized disparities in the experience of pain such that Black Americans experience more severe and disabling pain compared to non-Hispanic White (NHW) Americans. In an effort to ameliorate racial disparities in pain, it is vital to understand factors that contribute to them. Previous work has demonstrated that race differences in pain coping, including the use of prayer as a coping strategy, may help to explain these differences. The aim of the current study was to examine race differences in the use of prayer as a pain coping strategy and examine the relationship between different types of prayer (i.e., active, passive, and neutral) and pain severity and interference.

Methods

Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and White Americans with chronic low back pain (CLBP; N=29) completed a demographic questionnaire and validated measures of pain severity and interference (Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form; BPI-SF) and prayer (Pain and Prayer Scale; PPRAYERS). We conducted independent samples t-tests to examine race differences in each of the above variables. We calculated Spearman correlations to examine the relationship between pain and prayer variables.

Results

Participants were primarily Black (N=20; 67%) and identified as women (N=20; 67%) with an average age of 41 years (SD=13). They endorsed moderate pain severity (M=4.6; SD=1.9) and mild pain interference (M=2.8; SD=2.6). Compared to NHW, NHB participants reported more frequent use of active (t(25)=2.2; p=.02; d=.9), passive (t(26)=2.6; p=.01; d=1.1), and neutral prayer (t(24)=2.5; p=.01; d=.7) as well as greater pain severity (t(27)=1.9; p=.04; d=.7) but not pain interference (t(27)=.6; p=.3; d=.2). Results of Spearman correlations indicated that prayer (active, passive, and neutral) was not associated with pain severity or interference (ps>.05).

Conclusions

Among a sample of NHB and NHW individuals with CLBP, Black individuals endorsed more frequent use of prayer as a way to cope with their chronic pain. In fact, White individuals endorsed very infrequent use of all types of prayer (i.e., active, passive, and neutral). It is important to consider this predilection for using prayer to cope with pain when tailoring interventions for pain. Despite previous literature demonstrating that passive prayer is associated with worse pain outcomes, in our sample of non-Hispanic Black and White Americans with CLBP, there was no significant association between the use of prayer and pain outcomes.

References

1. Cleeland, C. and K. Ryan, Pain assessment: global use of the Brief Pain Inventory. Annals, Academy of Medicine, Singapore, 1994.
2. Meints, S.M., et al., The Pain and PRAYER Scale (PPRAYERS): development and validation of a scale to measure pain-related prayer. Pain Medicine, 2023: p. pnad020.
3. Meints, S.M., et al., Racial and ethnic differences in the experience and treatment of noncancer pain. Pain management, 2019. 9(3): p. 317-334.
4. Meints, S.M., M.M. Miller, and A.T. Hirsh, Differences in pain coping between Black and White Americans: A meta-analysis. The Journal of Pain, 2016. 17(6): p. 642-653.
5. Meints, S.M. and A.T. Hirsh, In vivo praying and catastrophizing mediate the race differences in experimental pain sensitivity. The Journal of Pain, 2015. 16(5): p. 491-497.

Presenting Author

Caroline M. Allen

Poster Authors

Caroline Allen

BSc

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Lead Author

E-mail

Topics

  • Racial/Ethnic/Economic Differences/Disparities