Abstract
Cancer is common among older Chinese American immigrants. Psychological distress may be associated with cancer pain, yet prior studies have not examined this relationship. We conducted a secondary analysis of 514 Chinese Americans with cancer-related pain. Patients completed validated questionnaires, including the Chinese Health Questionnaire-12 (CHQ-12). Analyses evaluated associations among sociodemographics, acculturation, psychological distress, and pain variables. Most patients had low acculturation and socioeconomic levels. Overall, 51.9% of patients reported moderate-severe psychological distress, 35.8% reported worst pain intensity ≥7/10 over the previous week and 41.2% had high pain-related distress. Higher CHQ-12 scores were associated with younger age (β = −0.13); lower educational level (β = −0.12); birthplace in China (β = −0.18); lack of a caregiver (β = −0.10); higher worst pain intensity (β = 0.15); and higher pain-related distress (β = 0.28; all p < 0.05; R2 = 0.23). Chinese American cancer patients with chronic pain experience high psychological distress, which is associated with pain characteristics and other social factors.