Pain, depressive symptoms, and self-efficacy for pain management: examination in African-American women with breast cancer

Purpose African-American women with breast cancer face significant disparities, including high levels of pain. Depressive symptoms and self-efficacy for pain management impact how women with breast cancer manage pain, yet little is known about how these variables relate to pain specifically for African-American women with breast cancer. Methods Baseline linear regression analyses were conducted using a sample of women ( n = 98) with stage I–III breast cancer identifying as Black or African-American who were part of a larger intervention trial. Linear regressions explored the effect of depressive symptoms on pain (i.e., severity and interference), and the effect of self-efficacy for pain management on pain. Covariates were age ( M = 57.22, SD = 10.76), cancer stage (50% = stage 1), and education level (36% = some college). Results Participants reported moderate levels of pain severity and interference. Higher depressive symptoms were related to both higher pain severity and interference; ( B = 0.06, p