Opioid-related risk perceptions in chronic pain: influence of patient gender and previous misuse behaviors.

Little is known about the factors that influence providers' perceptions of patient risk for aberrant opioid use. Patient gender may interact with previous opioid misuse to influence these perceptions. We asked 131 physicians to view videos and vignettes for 8 virtual patients with chronic pain.

Intergroup anxiety in pain care: impact on treatment recommendations made by white providers for black patients.

Race disparities in pain care are well-documented. Given that most black patients are treated by white providers, patient-provider racial discordance is one hypothesized contributor to these disparities. Research and theory suggest that providers' trait-level intergroup anxiety impacts their state-level comfort while treating patients, which, in turn, impacts their pain treatment decisions.