The influence of ethnic concordance and discordance on verbal reports and nonverbal behaviours of pain

Abstract

Summary 

An ethnically concordant milieu is associated with increased nonverbal pain displays and affective pain report.

This study’s aim was to examine the influence of ethnic concordance on Chinese participants’ pain report and nonverbal pain expression in a laboratory setting. Participants (n = 102) were exposed to a cold pressor task under 1 of 2 conditions: Chinese milieu (n = 52; participants exposed to Chinese experimenters and language), or European Canadian milieu (n = 50; participants exposed to Euro-Canadian experimenters and English language). A reference group with 86 Euro-Canadian participants, exposed to the Euro-Canadian milieu only, was included for comparison. The Chinese groups did not differ on pain intensity during the pain task. However, Chinese participants in the Chinese milieu reported significantly higher affective pain and displayed more nonverbal behaviour of pain than the Chinese participants in the Euro-Canadian milieu. In addition, compared to the Euro-Canadian group, both Chinese groups reported higher pain intensity during the pain task and greater affective pain after immersion. The results demonstrated that an ethnically concordant milieu is associated with increased nonverbal pain displays and affective pain report. These findings suggest that research on ethnic disparities in pain treatment should examine ethnic concordance between observer and individual in pain.