ANN ARBOR, Mich., Jan. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers said adults under age 50 who have chronic pain may be less able to cope with their condition than their elders.
Also, said researchers at the universities of Michigan and South Florida, people under 50 are more prone to the depression associated with pain. The generation gap applies to both blacks and whites, though blacks of all ages seem to experience more pain and pain-related negative effects than whites.
The researchers examined data on 5,823 black and white adults treated over a period of eight years. They were divided into two groups composed of those under 50 and those 50 and older. They found blacks, in general, scored higher than whites on measurements of the intensity of their pain, disability related to their pain and depression symptoms. The finding is consistent with past studies on pain that examined racial differences in chronic pain experience, they said.
The research appears in a special issue of the journal Pain Medicine that focuses on the differences in pain, pain effects and pain treatment that are increasingly being found between members of different racial and ethnic groups.
