The Nexus of Physical and Psychological Pain: Consequences for Mortality and Implications for Medical Sociology

2021 ◽  
pp. 002214652110645
Author(s):  
Morgan Peele ◽  
Jason Schnittker

Although physical pain lies at the intersection of biology and social conditions, a sociology of pain is still in its infancy. We seek to show how physical and psychological pain are jointly parts of a common expression of despair, particularly in relation to mortality. Using the 2002–2014 National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality Files (N = 228,098), we explore sociodemographic differences in the intersection of physical and psychological pain (referred to as the “pain–distress nexus”) and its relationship to mortality among adults ages 25 to 64. Results from regression and event history models reveal that differences are large for the combination of the two, pointing to an overlooked aspect of health disparities. The combination of both high distress and high pain is most prevalent and most strongly predictive of mortality among socioeconomically disadvantaged, non-Hispanic whites. These patterns have several implications that medical sociology is well positioned to address.

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uchenna Nwokeji ◽  
Erin Spaulding ◽  
Rongzi Shan ◽  
Ruth-Alma N Turkson-Ocran ◽  
Diana Baptiste ◽  
...  

Introduction: Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Health Information Technologies (HIT) have recently emerged as a viable intervention to mitigate the burden of ASCVD. At least 60% of US adults report searching the internet for health information; however, previous research has not examined prevalence and sociodemographic differences in HIT use among adults with ASCVD. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and sociodemographic differences in HIT use among U.S. adults with a history of diagnosed ASCVD. Methods: We pooled cross-sectional data from the 2010-2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to examine HIT use among adults aged ≥18 years (N=2,410) who self-reported being diagnosed with ASCVD (coronary heart disease (CHD) and/or stroke). We evaluated sociodemographic differences in HIT use among respondents with generalized linear models using Poisson distribution. Analyses were weighted according to NHIS standards. Results: The mean (±sd) age was 70 (±0.2) years, and 47.7% were female. Among US adults with a history of ASCVD, 22.6% of respondents utilized some form of HIT. HIT users with a history of ASCVD were more likely to be younger in age, have at least some college education, be employed, and be married ( Table 1 ). Conclusion: HIT use was low among adults with a history of ASCVD, which may represent a barrier to delivering care via emerging HIT. Given the association with sociodemographic factors such as education and employment, there is a need to develop targeted strategies to address sociodemographic barriers that impact HIT usage.


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