The Social Context of Burning Mouth Syndrome: an Exploratory Pilot Study of Stigma, Discrimination, and Pain

Overview

Journal Pain Med

Specialties Critical Care
Neurology
Psychiatry

Date 2023 Jun 14

PMID 37314981

Authors

Vani A Mathur

Janell S Payano Sosa

Michael L Keaser

Timothy F Meiller

David A Seminowicz

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The social context of burning mouth syndrome (BMS) has received little attention in the scientific literature. However, social psychological theory and insights from those with lived experiences suggest that people living with BMS experience compounding effects of stigma related to their pain, diagnosis (or lack thereof), and intersectional identities.

Objective: Our aim is to provide initial evidence and to motivate new directions for research on BMS. Here, we present the results of an exploratory pilot study (n = 16) of women living with BMS in the United States.

Methods: Participants completed self-report measures of stigma, discrimination, and pain, as well as laboratory assessments of pain through quantitative sensory testing.

Results: Results indicate a high prevalence of internalized BMS stigma, experience of BMS-related discrimination from clinicians, and gender stigma consciousness in this population. Moreover, results provide initial evidence that these experiences are related to pain outcomes. The most robust pattern of findings is that internalized BMS stigma was related to greater clinical pain severity, interference, intensity, and unpleasantness.

Conclusion: Given the prevalence and pain-relevance of intersectional stigma and discrimination identified in this pilot study, lived experience and social context should be incorporated into future research on BMS.

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