Racial Bias in Pediatric Pain Perception.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Pediatrics
• Social Sciences

Background:

• Racial disparities in pediatric pain care are widespread and contribute to health inequities.
• Previous research indicated perceptual biases in adult pain care; this study investigates if such biases extend to children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if racial bias in pain perception exists for child targets.
• To examine how racial bias in pain perception influences hypothetical treatment decisions for pediatric pain.

Main Methods:

• Four experiments were conducted involving participants assessing pain perception on the faces of Black, White, Asian, and Latinx boys and girls, and adult men.
• Participants' perception of pain and bias in hypothetical treatment recommendations were recorded.

Main Results:

• Pain was less readily perceived on Black boys' faces compared to White boys, a bias not observed for girls.
• This perceptual bias was comparable to biases found with adult targets and predicted racial disparities in treatment.
• Underperception of pain was also noted for Hispanic/Latinx boys' faces.

Conclusions:

• The study provides strong evidence for racial bias in pediatric pain perception.
• Perceptual bias in recognizing pain on children's faces is a significant factor contributing to racial disparities in pediatric pain care.
• This bias in pain recognition may be a novel mechanism underlying health inequities in children.