Experience of musculoskeletal pain. Comparison of immigrant and Swedish patient.

We explored differences regarding several psychosocial constructs (e.g. coping with pain) between immigrant (n = 140) and Swedish (n = 446) patients seeking treatment for pain at health and physiotherapy centres. A cross-sectional study design was used. The findings showed that, compared with Swedes, immigrants more often relied on benefits for their support and were more concerned with their financial situation. They also had longer periods of sick-leave. In addition, immigrants felt more disabled, reported more job strain and relied more on passive coping strategies for pain. Finally, they were more emotionally distressed, as they showed more symptoms of burnout, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress reactions, and lower self-confidence. Multivariate analyses performed separately for immigrant and Swedish patients showed differential patterns of associations between sociodemographic variables, financial strain, emotional distress, perceived disability, passive coping and job strain. We conclude that immigrant patients live under more strained psychosocial conditions and experience a deeper impact of pain than do their Swedish counterparts.