(242) Previous Burden of Adverse Life Events is Associated with Increased Acute Pain in African Americans Experiencing Motor Vehicle Collision

Millions of Americans present to the emergency department (ED) annually after motor vehicle collision (MVC), and more than 90% are discharged to home after evaluation. To date, the association between prior exposure to stressful life events and acute pain reported at the time of presentation has not been examined. Data for this analysis were obtained from an ongoing, prospective cohort study of African Americans (current n = 898) ≥18 and <65 years of age who presented to the ED within 24 hours of MVC. Exclusion criteria included hospital admission after evaluation and long bone fracture. Previous burden of adverse life events was assessed at 6-week follow-up using the Life Events Checklist for DSM-4 (LEC). Exposure to each event was defined to include the options “happened to me,” “witnessed it,” and “learned about it.” The association between previous life stress and acute pain outcomes in the ED was assessed via linear regression, adjusting for age, sex, study site, and experiences of discrimination. Greater exposure to stressful life events prior to MVC was associated with increased acute pain (evaluated via a 0-10 NRS) in the ED (β = 0.103, p = 0.023). Further studies are needed to understand the influence of past trauma on acute stress exposure. Supported by NIAMS R01AR060852.