Association Of Discrimination And Physical Activity With Social Pain Sensitivity: Moderating Effect Of Gender

Social pain is defined as an unpleasant emotional experience evoked by actual or perceived damage to one’s sense of social connection and social value (e.g., social rejection), and social pain sensitivity is a risk factor for pain. Discrimination is a type of social rejection based on attributes of individuals (e.g., race, gender, etc.) and linked to pain and hyperalgesia, whereas physical activity (PA) is a healthful behavior that is linked to pain relief and hypoalgesia. However, association of discrimination and PA with social pain sensitivity is currently unknown. Gender differences in pain exist, but it is unclear if gender moderates the association of discrimination and PA with social pain sensitivity. PURPOSE: To examine the association of discrimination and PA with social pain sensitivity and moderating effect of gender. Methods: A total of 172 participants (22.1 ± 2.8 yrs; 59 men & 113 women) completed 1) Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNES) and Social Pain Questionnaire (SPQ) to evaluate social pain sensitivity, 2) Everyday Discrimination Scale (EDS) to quantify discrimination experiences, and 3) PA survey. A path model was constructed to examine the association of EDS and PA levels with social pain sensitivity, followed by stratified analyses based on gender, adjusting for age and race. RESULTS: Analysis with the total sample showed that the EDS scores were associated with both BFNES and SPQ scores (BFNES: Β = 0.16, p = 0.028 & SPQ: Β = 0.25, p < 0.001). The gender-stratified analysis showed that the EDS scores were associated with both BFNES and SPQ scores in men (BFNES: Β = 0.28, p = 0.014 & SPQ: Β = 0.46, p < 0.001), but not in women (BFNES: Β = 0.11, p = 0.221 & SPQ: Β = 0.10, p = 0.239). PA levels were associated with the SPQ scores (Β = -0.34, p = 0.024) in the total sample. However, when stratified by gender, the significant association disappeared for both men and women (men: Β = -0.49, p = 0.065 & women: Β = -0.33, p = 0.082). CONCLUSIONS: Both discrimination and PA levels were associated with social pain sensitivity in the total sample. Gender moderated the association between discrimination and social pain sensitivity, with the association observed only in men, but the moderating effect of gender was not observed in the association between PA levels and social pain sensitivity. Supported by: No grant funding was used for this project. No AI technology was used for this project.