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Depression associated with injury is not necessarily unexpected, but it is important to note that some people may react much more intensely than others. A recent Science Daily release showed that African-American men with chronic pain related to an accident, injury, illness, surgery or other causes are more likely to experience depression, affective distress and disability than white men with chronic pain.

This finding was part of a new study by the University of Michigan Health System. This study is part of a body of work developed by U-M pain medicine physician and anesthesiologist Carmen R. Green, M.D., on racial disparities in the pain experience.

In previous studies, Green has demonstrated that black women are more severely impacted by chronic pain. He also discovered that in general, minorities have a harder time filling prescriptions for painkillers at their local pharmacies.

According to this latest study, black men with chronic pain are actually in poorer overall heath than white men. They are also at a higher risk for not being able to take care of themselves or their families. Reasons for this variance can range from lower marriage rates to engagement in litigation related to their pain.

"Gender related differences and disparities are known. However, most studies designed to examine racial and ethnic disparities ignore gender, while those exploring gender focus primarily on a single gender, most often women," Green said in the Science Daily.

In this study, researchers analyzed a model based on health and lifestyle factors, such as education, income, marital status, litigation, substance use and high blood pressure to determine outcomes for men with chronic pain.

A mixed picture was found among behavioral factors. Unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol and caffeine use were reported less often in black men, but were associated with better outcomes. The black race also emerged as a predictor of lower neighborhood income, less education and lower marriage rates.

"We revealed that black men are at increased risk for the worst consequences of chronic pain and larger studies are needed to examine the pain experience in this extremely understudied population," Green added.