Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Corresponding author: Michael J. Zvolensky, Ph. Latinx young adults in college ages 18—25 years are at an elevated risk for somatic and mental health disparities. Although the experience of pain is among the most common health complaints among Latinx young adults, there is no scientific information about how cognitive-based responses to pain relate to somatic vigilance and mental health among this group.
The current study therefore investigated the explanatory role of pain-related anxiety worry about negative consequences of pain in terms of body vigilance, worry, anxious arousal, and general depression among Latinx young adults.
Results indicated that greater levels of pain-related anxiety were associated with significantly greater bodily vigilance, worry, anxious arousal, and general depression after adjusting for age, gender, physical functioning, subjective social status, and pain intensity. The current investigation suggests that Latinx young adults who experience elevated levels of pain-related anxiety may be at greater risk for somatic hypervigilance and negative affect symptoms. Latinx young adults are a growing segment of the population in the United States [U.
Similar to other minority populations, Latinx young adults are at an increased risk for physical and mental health disparities when compared to non-Latinx Whites [ 2 , 3 ]. For example, research indicates that Latinx young adults in college 18—25 years of age are more vulnerable to certain mental health problems, including anxiety and depression symptoms [ 4 , 5 ].
Other studies have found that Latinx persons that report more somatic symptoms with or without a medical disorder evince greater disability and impairment, healthcare utilization, and poorer educational and occupational functioning [ 6 — 8 ]. Such elevated risk for physical and mental health problems among Latinx college students is of public health importance because of the negative and potential long-standing impact on educational attainment and functional and interpersonal capacity [e.
