• Matthew S Herbert, Jeffrey Hernandez, Cara Dochat, James O E Pittman, and Niloofar Afari.
• VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California.
• Pain Med. 2020 Nov 1; 21 (11): 3066-3072.

ObjectiveAlthough past research has identified differences in pain between non-Latino white (NLW) and Latino persons, few studies have focused on the influence of social support. The purpose of the present study was to determine if the association between the number of social support sources and ratings of pain intensity and pain interference differed as a function of ethnicity.DesignCross-sectional.SettingVeterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System.SubjectsParticipants were NLW (N = 389) and Latino (N = 207) Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.MethodsLinear regression analyses were used to examine the interaction between ethnicity and number of social support sources on pain intensity and pain interference as measured by the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System pain inventory.ResultsThe association between number of social support sources and pain intensity and interference significantly differed by ethnicity (P < 0.01 and P = 0.01, respectively). Among NLW veterans, there was a significant negative association between number of social support sources and pain intensity. Among Latino veterans, there was a significant positive association between number of social support sources and pain intensity and interference.ConclusionsThese findings suggest important differences between NLW and Latino Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in the association between social support and pain. Future research should examine ethnic differences in pain-specific support received from the social environment.© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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