“Bearing the Pain”: The Experience of Aging African Americans With Osteoarthritis Pain.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Booker SQ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7271276 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan-Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:African Americans bear a disproportionate burden of osteoarthritis (OA), but they have been underrepresented in trials of behavioral interventions for pain. This trial examined a culturally tailored pain coping skills training (CST) program, compared to a wait list control group, among 248 African Americans with knee or hip OA. The pain CST program involved 11 telephone-based sessions over 3 months. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 3 months (primary), and 9 months, and included the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale (primary outcome), WOMAC total score and function subscale, PROMIS Pain Interference, Short-Form 12 Mental and Physical Composite Subscales, Coping Strategies Questionnaire-Total Coping Attempts, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-8, Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale, and Patient Global Impression of Arthritis Symptom Change. Linear mixed models were fit for all outcomes. There were no significant between-group differences in WOMAC pain score at 3 months (-0.63 [95% confidence interval -1.45, 0.18]; P = 0.128) or 9 months (-0.84 [95% confidence interval -1.73, 0.06]; P = 0.068). Among secondary outcomes, at 3 months, there were significant differences, in favor of the CST group, for Coping Strategies Questionnaire Total Coping Attempts, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Arthritis Self-Efficacy, and Patient Global Impression of Arthritis Symptom Change (P < 0.01). Coping Strategies Questionnaire Total Coping Attempts, Arthritis Self-Efficacy, and Patient Global Assessment Change were also significantly improved at 9 months in the CST group, compared with wait list (P < 0.01). The culturally tailored pain CST program did not significantly reduce pain severity but did improve key measures of pain coping and perceived ability to manage pain among African Americans with OA.
| S-EPMC6719680 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:African Americans bear a disproportionate burden of osteoarthritis (OA), with higher prevalence rates, more severe pain, and more functional limitations. One key barrier to addressing these disparities has been limited engagement of African Americans in the development and evaluation of behavioral interventions for management of OA. Pain Coping Skills Training (CST) is a cognitive-behavioral intervention with shown efficacy to improve OA-related pain and other outcomes. Emerging data indicate pain CST may be a promising intervention for reducing racial disparities in OA symptom severity. However, there are important gaps in this research, including incorporation of stakeholder perspectives (e.g. cultural appropriateness, strategies for implementation into clinical practice) and testing pain CST specifically among African Americans with OA. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally enhanced pain CST program among African Americans with OA. METHODS/DESIGN:This is a randomized controlled trial among 248 participants with symptomatic hip or knee OA, with equal allocation to a pain CST group and a wait list (WL) control group. The pain CST program incorporated feedback from patients and other stakeholders and involves 11 weekly telephone-based sessions. Outcomes are assessed at baseline, 12 weeks (primary time point), and 36 weeks (to assess maintenance of treatment effects). The primary outcome is the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, and secondary outcomes include self-efficacy, pain coping, pain interference, quality of life, depressive symptoms, and global assessment of change. Linear mixed models will be used to compare the pain CST group to the WL control group and explore whether participant characteristics are associated with differential improvement in the pain CST program. This research is in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration and was approved by the Institutional Review Boards of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, East Carolina University, and Duke University Health System. DISCUSSION:This culturally enhanced pain CST program could have a substantial impact on outcomes for African Americans with OA and may be a key strategy in the reduction of racial health disparities. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02560922 , registered 9/22/2015.
| S-EPMC4994196 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Older African Americans who experience pain are especially at high risk of underassessment and undertreatment. This study examined patterns and correlates of pain medication use: severity of pain, medical conditions, and access to care. African Americans aged 65 and older were recruited from 16 churches located in south Los Angeles (N = 400). Structured face-to-face interviews and visual inspection of each participant's medications were conducted. More than 39% of participants were aged 75 and older, and 65% were female. Forty-seven percent used at least one type of pain medication. The frequency of pain medication use according to pharmaceutical class was nonopioid, 33%; opioid, 12%; adjuvant, 9%; and other drug, 8%. Seventy-seven percent of nonopioids were nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which 25% of participants with hypertension, 28% with stroke, 26% with kidney disease, and 28% with gastrointestinal problems used. Ninety-eight percent of participants who used NSAIDs, 98% experienced potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use, 69% experienced drug duplication, and 65% experienced drug-drug interactions. This study suggests severe mismanagement of pain in underserved older African Americans, particularly those with comorbidity, multiple providers, and limited access to health care. The use of pain medication was associated with drug-drug interactions, drug duplication, and PIM use. The data show that many participants with severe pain are not taking pain medication or experience PIM use. One in four participants was taking NSAIDs, which can cause serious side effects in older African Americans with multiple chronic conditions.
| S-EPMC5073022 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE:The etiology of knee osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, is complex and may differ by race or ethnicity. In recent years, genetic studies have identified many genetic variants associated with OA, but nearly all the studies were conducted in European whites and Asian Americans. Few studies have focused on the genetics of knee OA in African Americans. METHODS:We performed a genome-wide association study of radiographic knee OA in 1217 African Americans from 2 North American cohort studies: 590 subjects from the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project and 627 subjects from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Analyses were conducted in each cohort separately and combined in an inverse variance fixed effects metaanalysis, which were then included in pathway analyses. We additionally tested 12 single-nucleotide polymorphisms robustly associated with OA in European white populations for association in African Americans. RESULTS:We identified a genome-wide significant variant in LINC01006 (minor allele frequency 12%; p = 4.11 × 10-9) that is less common in European white populations (minor allele frequency < 3%). Five other independent loci reached suggestive significance (p < 1 × 10-6). In pathway analyses, dorsal/ventral neural tube patterning and iron ion transport pathways were significantly associated with knee OA in African Americans (false discovery rate < 0.05). We found no evidence that previously reported OA susceptibility variants in European whites were associated with knee OA in African Americans. CONCLUSION:These results highlight differences in the genetic architecture of knee OA between African American and European whites. This finding underscores the need to include more diverse populations in OA genetics studies.
| S-EPMC5668168 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe Pain Coping Skills Training for African Americans with OsteoaRTthritis (STAART) trial is examining the effectiveness of a culturally enhanced pain coping skills training (CST) program for African Americans with osteoarthritis (OA). This disparities-focused trial aimed to reach a population with greater symptom severity and risk factors for poor pain-related outcomes than previous studies. This paper compares characteristics of STAART participants with prior studies of CST or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-informed training in pain coping strategies for OA.MethodsA literature search identified 10 prior trials of pain CST or CBT-informed pain coping training among individuals with OA. We descriptively compared characteristics of STAART participants with other studies, in 3 domains of the National Institutes of Minority Health and Health Disparities' Research Framework: Sociocultural Environment (e.g., age, education, marital status), Biological Vulnerability and Mechanisms (e.g, pain and function, body mass index), and Health Behaviors and Coping (e.g., pain catastrophizing). Means and standard deviations (SDs) or proportions were calculated for STAART participants and extracted from published manuscripts for comparator studies.ResultsThe mean age of STAART participants, 59 years (SD = 10.3), was lower than 9 of 10 comparator studies; the proportion of individuals with some education beyond high school, 75%, was comparable to comparator studies (61-86%); and the proportion of individuals who are married or living with a partner, 42%, was lower than comparator studies (62-66%). Comparator studies had less than about 1/3 African American participants. Mean scores on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index pain and function scales were higher (worse) for STAART participants than for other studies, and mean body mass index of STAART participants, 35.2 kg/m2 (SD = 8.2), was higher than all other studies (30-34 kg/m2). STAART participants' mean score on the Pain Catastrophizing scale, 19.8 (SD = 12.3), was higher (worse) than other studies reporting this measure (7-17).ConclusionsCompared with prior studies with predominantly white samples, STAART participants have worse pain and function and more risk factors for negative pain-related outcomes across several domains. Given STAART participants' high mean pain catastrophizing scores, this sample may particularly benefit from the CST intervention approach.Trial registrationNCT02560922.
| S-EPMC6145122 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIn view of limited data on the subject of graft and patient survival differences between African American (AA) and non-AA heart transplant recipients, we reviewed our experience.HypothesisThere is a higher mortality among AA recipients compared with non-AA recipients after cardiac transplantation.MethodsThe study included all AA patients who have received a heart transplant in our center since 1983. Stepwise Cox regression was used for covariates affecting the survival. The χ(2) test was employed to identify the effects of a mechanical assist device and pretransplant creatinine (Cr) on the outcomes in AA and non-AA patients. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to examine survival.ResultsThe average survival among AA recipients was 5.4 years, compared with 12 years for the non-AA recipients, with 1-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates of 80%, 55%, and 25%, respectively. This was found to be statistically inferior to the survival probabilities of 92%, 78%, and 58% for the non-AA group (P < 0.005). Based on stepwise Cox regression, the variables such as ethnicity (P < 0.05), pretransplant Cr (P < 0.05), presence of a mechanical assist device (P < 0.005), and United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) status at transplant (P < 0.05) independently predicted the outcomes. Kaplan-Meier analysis of pretransplant Cr level and survival showed that the AA group did significantly worse for all Cr classes.ConclusionsThere is a statistically significant difference in outcomes between AA and non-AA patients after cardiac transplantation. African American patients have decreased survival over a period of time. Pretransplant Cr, ethnicity, presence of a mechanical assist device, and UNOS status at transplantation are independent predictors of outcomes.
| S-EPMC6649378 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Although very little is known about African American cancer patients' pain experience, a few studies have indicated that their cancer pain experience is unique and somewhat different from that of other ethnic groups. The purpose of the study reported in this article was to explore African American cancer patients' pain experience using an online forum. This study was a qualitative online forum designed from a feminist perspective and conducted among 11 African American cancer patients who were recruited through both Internet and real settings. Nine online forum topics were used to administer the 6-month online forum, and the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged through the data analysis process. First, participants viewed cancer as a challenge in life that they should fight against. Second, cancer pain was differentiated from ordinary pain because cancer was stigmatized in their culture. Third, participants viewed that African Americans, especially women, were culturally raised to be strong, and this African American cultural heritage inhibited cancer patients from expressing pain and seeking help for pain management. Finally, the findings indicated certain changes in perspectives among African American cancer patients during the disease process, which might make them tolerate pain through praying to God and reading the Bible. Based on the findings, we suggest further studies among diverse groups of African American cancer patients, with a focus on cultural attitudes toward cancer pain and influences of family on cancer pain experience.
| S-EPMC2494873 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveCompare knee pain and disability between African Americans (AAs) and Whites (WHs), with or at risk of knee osteoarthritis (KOA), over 9 years, and evaluate racial disparities in KOA-related symptoms across socioeconomic and clinical characteristics.DesignOsteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) participants were evaluated annually over 9 years for pain and disability, assessed by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and a numerical rating scale (NRS) for knee pain severity. Mean annual WOMAC pain, NRS pain, and WOMAC disability levels were estimated by race using mixed effects models, adjusted for age, sex, education, marital status, body mass index (BMI), depression, and baseline Kellgren-Lawrence grade score. Race-specific mean WOMAC pain scores were also estimated in analyses stratified by socioeconomic and clinical characteristics.ResultsAAs reported worse mean WOMAC pain compared to WHs at baseline (3.69 vs 2.20; P ≤ 0.0001) and over 9 years of follow-up, with similar disparities reflected in NRS pain severity and WOMAC disability. Radiographic severity did not account for the differences in pain and disability, as substantial and significant racial disparities were observed after stratification by Kellgren-Lawrence grade. Depression and low income exacerbated differences in WOMAC pain between AAs and WHs by a substantial and significant magnitude.ConclusionsOver 9 years of follow-up, AAs reported persistently greater KOA symptoms than WHs. Socioeconomically and clinically disadvantaged AAs reported the most pronounced disparities in pain and disability.
| S-EPMC5871565 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE:This study examined the role of depressive symptoms in mediating the relationship between early life experiences of racial discrimination and accelerated aging in adulthood for African Americans (i.e., prediction over a 19-year period, from ages 10 to 29) after adjusting for gender and health behaviors. METHOD:Longitudinal self-report data over 7 waves of data collection from the Family and Community Health Study were utilized. The sample included 368 African Americans with usable gene expression data to compute accelerated aging, as well as complete data on all self-report variables including racial discrimination (Schedule of Racist Events) and depression (Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Version 4). Blood was collected by antecubital blood draws from participants at age 29. The proposed model was tested by path analysis. RESULTS:Findings revealed that high discrimination at ages 10-15 was associated with depression at ages 20-29 (? = .19, p = .001), controlling for depression at ages 10-15, which, in turn, was related to accelerated cellular-level aging (? = .11, p = .048) after controlling for gender, alcohol consumption, and cigarette use. The indirect effect of racial discrimination on aging through depression at ages 20-29 was significant (? = .021, 95% confidence interval [.001, .057]), accounting for 32.3% of the total variance. CONCLUSION:These findings support research conceptualizations that early life stress due to racial discrimination lead to sustained negative affective states continuing into young adulthood that confer risk for accelerated aging and possibly premature disease and mortality in African Americans. These findings advance knowledge of potential underlying mechanisms that influence racial health disparities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
| S-EPMC6800763 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundOsteoarthritis (OA) disproportionately impacts African Americans compared to Caucasians, including greater pain severity. The Pain Coping Skills Training for African Americans with Osteoarthritis (STAART) study examined a culturally enhanced Pain Coping Skills Training (CST) program among African Americans with OA. This mixed methods study evaluated the acceptability of the Pain CST program among STAART participants.MethodsSTAART was a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an 11-session, telephone-based pain CST program, compared to a usual care control group. Participants were from the University of North Carolina and Durham Veterans Affairs Healthcare Systems. The present analyses included 93 participants in the CST group who completed a questionnaire about experiences with the program. Descriptive statistics of the questionnaire responses were calculated using SAS software. Thematic analysis was applied to open-response data using Dedoose software.ResultsParticipants' mean rating of overall helpfulness of the pain CST program for managing arthritis symptoms was 8.0 (SD = 2.2) on a scale of 0-10. A majority of participants reported the program made a positive difference in their experience with arthritis (83.1%). Mean ratings of helpfulness of the specific skills ranged from 7.7 to 8.8 (all scales 0-10). Qualitative analysis of the open-response data identified four prominent themes: Improved Pain Coping, Mood and Emotional Benefits, Improved Physical Functioning, and experiences related to Intervention Delivery.ConclusionsThe high ratings of helpfulness demonstrate acceptability of this culturally enhanced pain CST program by African Americans with OA. Increasing access to cognitive-behavioral therapy-based programs may be a promising strategy to address racial disparities in OA-related pain and associated outcomes.Trial registrationNCT02560922 , registered September 25, 2015.
| S-EPMC7427940 | biostudies-literature