Neighborhood, Socioeconomic, and Racial Influence on Chronic Pain.
Angelika Maly, April Hazard Vallerand
PMID 29422123WHAT IT FOUND
Chronic pain in impoverished urban neighborhoods is associated with stress, unsafe places, limited walking, social isolation, and perceived discrimination.
Ask about these barriers before recommending activity, and include nursing assessment of socioeconomic and neighborhood factors.
Key findings
01Adverse neighborhood influences lead to physical and social isolation and increased stress, which are reported to negatively affect chronic pain.
02Participants in one study said they could not follow the advice to take a walk because of their neighborhood.
03African Americans reporting perceived lifetime discrimination have a higher likelihood of experiencing chronic pain than non-Hispanic whites without that perception.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This is a narrative review, not an original study or systematic review, so it does not report methods, participant counts, or outcome data. It describes associations and barriers, and it does not show that asking about neighborhood safety or social support reduces pain. The focus is largely on African Americans in impoverished urban neighborhoods, so it may not apply to other racial groups, rural areas, or higher-income settings. The nursing recommendations are the authors' implications, not tested nursing interventions.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that a specific pain intervention works. It is a narrative review of associations, and it does not test whether assessing neighborhoods, improving social support, or changing access reduces chronic pain.