Research documents racial disparities in chronic low back pain (CLBP). Few studies have examined racial disparities in movement-related appraisals and no studies have examined anticipatory appraisals prior to or pain behaviors during functional activities among individuals with CLBP. This cross-sectional study examined racial differences in anticipatory appraisals of pain, concerns about harm, and anxiety, appraisals of pain and anxiety during movement, and observed pain behaviors during three activities of daily living (supine-to-standing bed task, sitting-to-standing chair task, floor-to-waist lifting task) in a sample (N = 126) of non-Hispanic Black (31.0%), Hispanic (30.2%), and non-Hispanic White (38.9%) individuals with CLBP. Hispanic participants reported more expected pain, concerns about harm, and pre-movement anxiety prior to the bed and chair tasks compared to non-Hispanic White participants. Hispanic participants reported more pain during the bed task and more anxiety during the bed and chair tasks compared to non-Hispanic White participants. Non-Hispanic Black participants reported more expected pain, concerns about harm, and pre-movement anxiety prior to the bed task and more pre-movement anxiety prior to the chair task compared to non-Hispanic White participants. Non-Hispanic Black participants reported more anxiety during the bed and chair tasks compared to non-Hispanic White participants. Non-Hispanic Black participants were observed to have significantly more verbalizations of pain during the bed task compared to non-Hispanic White participants. Current findings identify racial disparities in important cognitive-behavioral and fear-avoidance mechanisms of pain. Results indicate a need to revisit traditional theoretical and treatment models in CLBP, ensuring racial disparities in pain cognitions are considered. PERSPECTIVE: This study examined racial disparities in anticipatory and movement-related appraisals, and pain behaviors during activities of daily living among Non-Hispanic Black, Non-Hispanic White, and Hispanic individuals with CLBP. Racial disparities identified in the current study have potentially important theoretical implications surrounding cognitive-behavioral and fear-avoidance mechanisms of pain.Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.
