Intra‐Ethnic Differences in Chronic Pain and the Associated Factors: An Exploratory, Comparative Design

• Published in: Journal of nursing scholarship 2020-07, Vol.52 (4), p.389-396
• Main Authors: Kim, Hee Jun, Chang, Sun Ju, Park, Hyunjeong, Choi, Seung Woo, Juon, Hee‐Soon, Lee, Kyung‐eun, Ryu, Hyunju
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acculturation; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Asian Americans; Asian Americans - statistics & numerical data; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Catastrophic reactions; Chronic pain; Chronic Pain - ethnology; cross‐cultural comparison; Cultural differences; depression; Environmental aspects; Ethnic differences; Female; Health status; Humans; Immigrants; Korean Americans; Male; Mental depression; Minority & ethnic groups; Multivariate analysis; Musculoskeletal pain; Older people; Pain; pain catastrophizing; Psychological aspects; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Republic of Korea; Risk Factors; Self Report; Severity; Sleep; Sociocultural factors; Symptoms; United States
• ISSN: 1527-6546; 1547-5069
• DOI: 10.1111/jnu.12564

Purpose To describe and compare the levels of pain severity and pain interference, pain catastrophizing, and associated factors between elderly Koreans living in South Korea and Korean Americans living in the United States with chronic pain. Methods An exploratory, comparative design was used for this study. A total of 270 individuals (138 Koreans living in South Korea and 132 Korean Americans living in the United States), aged more than 65 years, with self‐reported chronic pain, and defined as at least 3 months of persistent musculoskeletal pain, is included. Outcome variables were pain severity, pain interference, and pain catastrophizing. Multivariate linear regression was conducted to examine factors associated with the outcome variables. Results In multivariate analysis, Korean Americans had higher levels of pain severity and pain catastrophizing than Koreans. Depressive symptoms, sleep quality, and health‐related quality of life were significant factors for pain severity, pain interference, and pain catastrophizing for both groups. Among those factors, health‐related quality of life was the most significant factor for predicting pain severity and pain interference, whereas depressive symptoms were the most significant factor for predicting pain catastrophizing for both groups. Conclusions Intra‐ethnic differences in pain severity and pain catastrophizing were found between elderly Koreans living in South Korea and Korean Americans living in the United States. Clinical Relevance Because unfamiliar sociocultural and environmental factors may influence the pain responses, cultural differences and language barriers should be taken into account in pain research and management strategies for Asian immigrants in the United States. Psychological factors, including depressive symptoms, sleep quality, and health‐related quality of life, should also be considered in chronic pain management for both elderly Koreans and Korean Americans.