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The following is a summary of “Community Leaders’ Perceptions of Pain and Research Engagement: Implications for Participant Diversity and Inclusion in Pain Clinical Trials,” published in the April 2025 issue of Journal of Pain by Jajko et al. 

Clinical trials historically lacked diversity and representation of minoritized groups, which reduced the generalizability and potentially the effectiveness of interventions across the population.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine how community perceptions of pain and pain research influenced participation in pain-related clinical trials among underrepresented groups from the perspective of community organization leaders.  

They performed a qualitative study using in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 20 representatives from community-based organizations. Interviews captured the experiences of leaders serving minoritized populations, including Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian communities in the Greater Seattle Area. Data were analyzed in Dedoose using thematic analysis.  

The results showed 5 main themes:  Community perceptions of and communication around pain, pain research as an extension of western medicine, community leaders’ experiences with researchers, returning results to the community enhances research significance, and understanding community experiences with social determinants of health. Participants demonstrated that the communities were largely uninterested in pain clinical trials due to a perceived misalignment between trial treatment options and the communities’ preferences and needs.  

Investigators concluded that future research exploring integrative pain care approaches, involving community participation in research design, and addressing social determinants of health could potentially overcome the identified misalignment and improve the relevance of pain research for diverse communities. 

Source: jpain.org/article/S1526-5900(25)00616-9/abstract