Localized and Widespread Chronic Pain in Sexual and Gender Minority People – An Analysis of The PRIDE Study

Abstract

Sex-related differences (without taking gender into account) in chronic pain have been widely researched over the past few decades in predominantly cisgender (persons whose gender corresponds to their sex assigned at birth) and heterosexual populations. Historically, chronic pain conditions have a higher incidence and prevalence in cisgender women, including but not limited to fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and migraine. The goal of the present study was to identify and characterize the presence and characteristics of chronic pain in SM and GM persons using data from The PRIDE Study, which is the first large-scale, long-term national cohort health study of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+), or as another sexual or gender minority person. A total of 6189 adult participants completed The PRIDE Study’s 2022 Annual Questionnaire at the time of data analysis. A total of 2462 (45.6%) participants reported no chronic pain, leaving 2935 (54.6%) participants who reported experiencing chronic pain. The findings from this study highlight that chronic pain is present to a significant degree in sexual and gender minority (SGM) adults who participated in The PRIDE Study with chronic spine pain (cervical, thoracic, and lumbar) being the most common location/region of pain. Notably, more than one-third of non-binary persons, transgender men, and people who selected another gender experienced chronic widespread pain, defined by having 3 or more total regions of chronic pain. The lowest prevalence of chronic widespread pain was among transgender women and cisgender men. When considering sexual orientation, the highest prevalence of widespread pain was in participants who selected another sexual orientation, followed by queer and asexual/demisexual/gray-ace, with the lowest prevalence of chronic widespread pain being in those who identify as straight/heterosexual, bisexual/pansexual, and gay/lesbian. Future studies are planned to elucidate how a variety of biopsychosocial mechanisms may influence chronic pain in SGM persons.