A comparison of pain perception of elderly African Americans and Caucasians.

Abstract

This study explored the differences and similarities in pain perception reported by 32 elderly African Americans and 32 elderly Caucasian subjects. Using the McGill-Melzack Pain Questionnaire, the study revealed that both groups chose the word nagging most frequently to describe their pain. A 2 by 2 analysis of variance indicated a statistically significant difference between the subjects in terms of the present pain intensity (PPI) (F = 6.30, df = 1, P = .015). Pearson's Product Moment Correlation revealed a moderate correlation (r = .36, P = .01) between PPI and ethnicity.