COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Stressors, Distress, and Bodily Pain in Native Americans: Results from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted minoritized individuals. This study examined the relationships between pandemic-related stressors/distress and bodily pain in 79 Native American (NA) and 101 non-Hispanic White (NHW) participants from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk. Online surveys were administered in May/June 2020 (wave 1), March/April 2021 (wave 2), and Sept/Oct 2021 (wave 3).

Mechanisms of the Native American pain inequity: predicting chronic pain onset prospectively at 5 years in the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

A pain inequity exists for Native Americans (NAs), but the mechanisms are poorly understood. The Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk (OK-SNAP) addressed this issue and recruited healthy, pain-free NAs and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) to attend 2 laboratory visits and assessed mechanisms consistent with the biopsychosocial model of pain: demographics, physical variables, psychosocial factors, and nociceptive/pain phenotypes. Then participants were surveyed every 6 months to assess for chronic pain onset.

The Relationship Between Neighborhood Disadvantage and Markers of Chronic Pain Risk: Findings From the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk (OK-SNAP).

Socioeconomic disadvantage contributes to health inequities, including chronic pain. Yet, research examining socioeconomic disadvantage and pain risk in Native Americans (NAs) is scant. This exploratory analysis assessed relationships between socioeconomic position (SEP), ethnicity, and neighborhood disadvantage on pronociceptive processes in 272 healthy, chronic pain-free NAs (n = 139) and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs, n = 133) from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk (OK-SNAP).

Cognitive control as a potential neural mechanism of protective role of spirituality in anxiety disorders among American Indian people: An ERP study.

Research suggests that traditional cultural factors are protective against mental health conditions in American Indian (AI) populations. This study aims to determine if cognitive control is a neurocognitive mechanism of the protective role of spirituality in AI people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Participants self-identified as AI (n = 52) and included individuals with GAD (n = 16) and without GAD (n = 36).

Sleep Problems Mediate the Relationship Between Psychosocial Stress and Pain Facilitation in Native Americans: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Background: Native Americans (NAs) are more likely to experience chronic pain than non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs); however, the proximate causes predisposing NAs to chronic pain remain elusive. Likely due to centuries of adversity, discrimination, and marginalization, NAs report greater psychological stress than NHWs, which may place them at risk for sleep problems, a well-established risk factor for chronic pain onset.

Purpose: This study examined the effects of psychological stress and sleep problems on subjective and physiological measures of pain processing in NAs and NHWs.

Exploration of the trait-activation model of pain catastrophizing in Native Americans: results from the Oklahoma Study of Native American pain risk (OK-SNAP).

Objectives: Native Americans (NAs) have the highest prevalence of chronic pain of any racial/ethnic group. This issue has received little attention from the scientific community. One factor that may contribute to racial pain disparities is pain catastrophizing.

The Relationship Between Experienced Discrimination and Pronociceptive Processes in Native Americans: Results From the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Native Americans (NAs) have higher pain rates than the general U.S. population.

The role of self-evaluated pain sensitivity as a mediator of objectively measured pain tolerance in Native Americans: findings from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk (OK-SNAP).

Native Americans (NAs) are at increased risk for chronic pain. One mechanism contributing to this pain disparity could be personal pain beliefs, which may influence actual pain sensitivity. Thus, we examined whether self-evaluated pain sensitivity (SEPS) mediates the relationship between ethnicity [NAs vs.

Psychosocial and cardiometabolic predictors of chronic pain onset in Native Americans: serial mediation analyses of 2-year prospective data from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Chronic pain results in considerable suffering, as well as significant economic and societal costs. Previous evidence suggests that Native Americans (NAs) have higher rates of chronic pain than other U.S.

Sleep Buffers the Effect of Discrimination on Cardiometabolic Allostatic Load in Native Americans: Results from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Objectives: Compared to other racial/ethnic groups, Native Americans (NAs) are more likely to develop health conditions associated with allostatic load (stress-related wear-and-tear). Psychosocial factors (i.e.

Are Cardiometabolic Markers of Allostatic Load Associated With Pronociceptive Processes in Native Americans?: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis From the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Native Americans (NAs) experience higher rates of chronic pain than the general U.S. population, but the risk factors for this pain disparity are unknown.

The Relationship Between Adverse Life Events and Endogenous Inhibition of Pain and Spinal Nociception: Findings From the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk (OK-SNAP).

Adverse life events (ALEs) are a risk factor for chronic pain; however, mechanisms underlying this association are not understood. This study examined whether cumulative ALE exposure impairs endogenous inhibition of pain (assessed from pain report) and spinal nociception (assessed from nociceptive flexion reflex; NFR) in healthy, pain-free Native Americans (n = 124) and non-Hispanic Whites (n = 129) during a conditioned pain modulation (CPM) task. Cumulative ALE exposure was assessed prior to testing by summing the number of potentially traumatic events experienced by each participant across their lifespan.

The Association Between Adverse Life Events, Psychological Stress, and Pain-Promoting Affect and Cognitions in Native Americans: Results from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Native Americans (NAs) experience higher rates of chronic pain. To examine the mechanisms for this pain inequity, we have previously shown that NAs report higher levels of pain-related anxiety and pain catastrophizing, which are in turn related to pronociceptive (pain-promoting) processes. But, it is currently unclear why NAs would report greater pain-related anxiety and catastrophizing.

Examining Configural, Metric, and Scalar Invariance of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale in Native American and Non-Hispanic White Adults in the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk (OK-SNAP).

Introduction: Native Americans (NAs) have a higher prevalence of chronic pain than other US racial/ethnic groups, but the mechanisms contributing to this pain disparity are under-researched. Pain catastrophizing is one of the most important psychosocial predictors of negative pain outcomes, and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) has been established as a reliable and valid measure of the pain catastrophizing construct. However, before the PCS can be used to study pain risk in NAs, it is prudent to first determine whether the established 3-factor structure of the PCS also holds true for NAs.

A qualitative analysis of pain meaning: results from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk (OK-SNAP).

The most widely accepted definition of pain considers it a sensory and emotional experience associated with potential or actual physical harm. However, research tends to generalize findings from predominantly European American samples thereby assuming universality across cultures. Because of the high prevalence of pain within the AI group, it is important to consider whether their conceptualization of pain is similar to the universal definition.

The Effect of Pain Catastrophizing on Endogenous Inhibition of Pain and Spinal Nociception in Native Americans: Results From the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Background: Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) is a task that involves measuring pain in response to a test stimulus before and during a painful conditioning stimulus (CS). The CS pain typically inhibits pain elicited by the test stimulus; thus, this task is used to assess endogenous pain inhibition. Moreover, less efficient CPM-related inhibition is associated with chronic pain risk.

Pain-related anxiety promotes pronociceptive processes in Native Americans: bootstrapped mediation analyses from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Introduction: Evidence suggests Native Americans (NAs) experience higher rates of chronic pain than the general US population, but the mechanisms contributing to this disparity are poorly understood. Recently, we conducted a study of healthy, pain-free NAs (n = 155), and non-Hispanic whites (NHWs, n = 150) to address this issue and found little evidence that NAs and NHWs differ in pain processing (assessed from multiple quantitative sensory tests). However, NAs reported higher levels of pain-related anxiety during many of the tasks.

Assessing peripheral fibers, pain sensitivity, central sensitization, and descending inhibition in Native Americans: main findings from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Native Americans (NAs) have a higher prevalence of chronic pain than other U.S. racial/ethnic groups, but there have been few attempts to understand the mechanisms of this pain disparity.

Anger Inhibition and Pain Modulation.

Background: The tendency to inhibit anger (anger-in) is associated with increased pain. This relationship may be explained by the negative affectivity hypothesis (anger-in increases negative affect that increases pain). Alternatively, it may be explained by the cognitive resource hypothesis (inhibiting anger limits attentional resources for pain modulation).

Conditioned Pain Modulation in Sexual Assault Survivors.

Sexual assault (SA) is associated with an increased risk of chronic pain, but the mechanisms for this relationship are poorly understood. To explore whether disrupted descending inhibition is involved, this study used a conditioned pain modulation task to study the inhibition of pain and the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR; a correlate of spinal nociception) in 32 pain-free SA survivors. This group was compared with 32 pain-free, trauma-exposed persons without SA and a group of 40 pain-free persons who reported no trauma exposure.

Sensory, Affective, and Catastrophizing Reactions to Multiple Stimulus Modalities: Results from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Native Americans (NAs) have a higher prevalence of chronic pain than any other U.S. racial/ethnic group; however, little is known about the mechanisms for this pain disparity.

Race/Ethnicity Does Not Moderate the Relationship Between Adverse Life Experiences and Temporal Summation of the Nociceptive Flexion Reflex and Pain: Results From the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk.

Adverse life experiences (ALEs) are associated with hyperalgesia and chronic pain, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. One potential mechanism is hyperexcitability of spinal neurons (ie, central sensitization). Given that Native Americans (NAs) are more likely to have ALEs and to have a higher prevalence of chronic pain, the relationship between ALEs and spinal hyperexcitability might contribute to their pain risk.

Emotional Modulation of Pain and Spinal Nociception in Sexual Assault Survivors.

Objective: Sexual assault (SA) is associated with an increased risk for chronic pain and affective distress. Given that emotional processes modulate pain (e.g.

Native American Children and Their Reports of Hope: Construct Validation of the Children's Hope Scale.

Child reports of hope continue to be utilized as predictors of positive adjustment; however, the utilization of the hope construct has not been assessed within the culturally diverse Native American child group. The present study investigated the applicability of the Hope theory among 96 Native American children in the Midwest. Measures included the Children's Hope Scale and a Hope Interview.

Exploring pain processing differences in Native Americans.

Objective: Several chronic pain conditions are more prevalent in Native Americans than in any other group in the United States; however, little has been done to identify factors contributing to this disparity. The study presented here was designed to examine whether there were pain processing differences in Native Americans relative to non-Hispanic White controls.

Methods: Participants were healthy, pain-free Native Americans (n = 22, 8 females) and non-Hispanic Whites (n = 20, 7 females).