Exploring the mechanism underlying the association between pain intensity and mental health among latinos

Michael J. Zvolensky, Jafar Bakhshaie, Daniel J. Paulus, Kirsten J. Langdon, Monica Garza, Jeanette Valdivieso, Joseph Ditre, Melissa Ochoa-Perez, Chad Lemaire, Daniel Bogiaizian, Zuky Robles, Rubén Rodríguez-Cano, Kara Manning

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

There is limited understanding of pain and its relationship to mental health in Latinos, and limited knowledge about the biobehavioral mechanisms that underlie pain-mental health interrelations. To address these gaps, the present investigation sought to address whether anxiety sensitivity explained relations between pain intensity and anxious arousal, depressive symptoms, social anxiety, and depressive and anxiety disorders among an economically disadvantaged Latino sample. Participants included 349 adult Latinos (88% women; Mage = 38.8) who attended a community-based primary health care. In the multiple mediation model, anxiety sensitivity physical concerns accounted for the association between pain intensity and anxious arousal symptoms, cognitive concerns accounted for the association between pain intensity and depressive symptoms, and social concerns accounted for the association between pain intensity and social anxiety symptoms. This is the first study to demonstrate the explanatory role of anxiety sensitivity in pain-affective associations among disadvantaged Latinos.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)300-307
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Nervous and Mental Disease
Volume205
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017

Keywords

  • Anxiety sensitivity
  • Health disparity
  • Latinos
  • Mental health
  • Pain
  • Primary care

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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