Youth experiences with discrimination and the association with multisite pain

Abstract

Introduction Childhood experiences with pain and discrimination can have lasting negative impacts on short- and long-term health outcomes, yet the association between pain and discrimination remains incompletely understood. Objective This study examined the association between childhood experiences of discrimination and multisite pain in a large longitudinal cohort of 7,979 children aged 9 to 10 years from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Methods The primary outcome was self-reported multisite pain determined from a body map at year 2 follow-up. Discrimination was assessed at the year 2 follow-up with the Perceived Discrimination Scale (PDS). Results The prevalence of multisite pain in the cohort was 13.8%. Children experiencing higher levels of perceived discrimination had increased odds of reporting multisite pain (OR = 2.28, 95% CI 1.9-2.72; P P P P = 0.004). Conclusion These findings suggest that childhood discrimination is associated with multisite pain and greater pain severity and interference. Healthcare providers should consider assessing discrimination experiences in children presenting with pain.