Prevalence, incidence, and factors associated with pain-related disabilities, and experiences of limitations due to pain among First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada: A scoping review.

Abstract

Objectives: To describe the prevalence, incidence, factors associated with pain-related disabilities, and experiences of limitations due to pain among First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review of the literature. The search strategy, developed with a health sciences librarian, included Indigenous-specific and health peer-reviewed databases, and grey literature for studies from inception to May 23, 2023. We included epidemiological, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies assessing pain-related disability outcomes among First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada.

Synthesis: We screened 5902 citations from the peer-reviewed databases, of which 86 were screened as full-text items, and 49 were screened separately from grey literature sources. Two relevant items were retrieved. In 2017, an epidemiological study reported point prevalence estimates of pain-related disability lasting 6 months or more as follows: 11.4% among Inuit, 20.7% among Métis, and 22.2% among off-reserve First Nations people, with higher prevalence in women than in men. In 2002, a qualitative study highlighted emergent themes related to "difficulty coping with pain" and "suffering" among Cree adults with disabilities from the Mushkegowuk Territory. No studies reported on the incidence or factors associated with pain-related disability.

Conclusion: Our scoping review found two studies on pain-related disabilities among Indigenous peoples in Canada. Continued collaboration with Indigenous partners is required to contextualize these findings and determine appropriate next steps.