Advisory Committee Chair
Cheryl Holt
Advisory Committee Members
Beverly E Thorn
Martha R Crowther
Sharina Person
David C Schwebel
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2009
Abstract
There is consistent evidence of ethnic group differences in pain response in clinical and laboratory settings. However, few studies have examined potential contributors to the group differences, or assessed the efficacy of interventions to reduce pain across ethnic groups. The aims of the study were to: 1. Compare African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites’ (NH Whites) scores on the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, 2. Compare the pain responses (e.g., pain threshold, tolerance, intensity and unpleasantness) of African Americans and NH Whites in response to the Cold Pressor Procedure (CPT), and 3. Evaluate the effects of sensory focus and distraction interventions on pain tolerance. Sensory focus required individuals to focus on words assessing the sensory aspect of pain, while individuals in the distraction intervention concentrated on words unrelated to pain. It was hypothesized that the pain tolerance of NH Whites would not differ by intervention, while the tolerance of African Americans would vary across interventions. Participants included 91 healthy students (48 African American, 43 NH White) who were randomly assigned to the sensory focus or distraction intervention. Each participant completed a baseline CPT(1) and then a second CPT(2) following training in sensory focus or distraction. Pain tolerance (in seconds) was recorded for each CPT, as well as ratings of intensity and unpleasantness. Results showed that NH Whites produced higher catastrophizing scores for the rumination scale than African Americans. African Americans displayed lower tolerances than NH Whites during CPT1 and CPT2. There were no differences between the groups’ unpleasantness ratings. NH Whites evidenced higher intensity ratings than African Americans during CPT1. African Americans in the distraction group showed an increase of 21 seconds in their tolerance from CPT1 to CPT2, although there were no changes for African Americans in the sensory focus group. Neither the sensory focus or distraction interventions resulted in changes in tolerance from CPT1 to CPT2 for NH Whites. Results suggest that the efficacy of specific interventions may vary according to ethnic group. Interventions aimed at reducing the impact of pain may be more successful if ethnicity is considered as an important determinant of the pain experience.
Recommended Citation
McConley, Regina Lynette, "Evaluating the effects of sensory focus and distraction on ethnic differences in reports of laboratory induced pain" (2009). All ETDs from UAB. 6813.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/6813
