Table 4.

Decomposition of pain difference between straight and sexual minority adults.

	Composition			Unexplained/coefficients
Panel A. Pain in 3+ sites (total difference 6.20***, 95% CI 5.17, 7.22)
Overall decomposition	2.52***	(1.46, 3.59)	40.7%	3.67***	(2.25, 5.09)	59.3%
Detailed decomposition
Age	−1.16***	(−1.67, −0.66)	−18.7%	−0.06	(−1.11, 0.98)	−1.0%
Demographics	−1.76*	(−3.39, −0.13)	−28.4%	−1.19	(−3.31, 0.92)	−19.3%
Socioeconomic status	0.47	(−0.17, 1.12)	7.7%	−0.25	(−1.11, 0.61)	−4.0%
Health care	0.27**	(0.10, 0.43)	4.3%	0.06	(−0.68, 0.82)	1.0%
Health behaviors	0.60*	(0.10, 1.09)	9.7%	1.47	(−1.96, 4.90)	23.4%
Psychological distress	3.83***	(3.01, 4.65)	61.8%	0.17	(−0.73, 1.07)	2.7%
Panel B. Chronic pain (total difference 6.19***, 95% CI 5.00, 7.37)
Overall decomposition	2.78***	(1.57, 3.99)	44.9%	3.41***	(1.78, 5.03)	55.1%
Detailed decomposition
Age	−1.21***	(−1.72, −0.52)	−18.1%	−0.52	(−1.75, 0.71)	−8.5%
Demographics	−1.51	(−3.34, 0.31)	−24.5%	−1.76	(−1.76, 0.71)	−28.5%
Socioeconomic status	0.59	(−0.18, 1.36)	9.5%	−0.27	(−4.44, 0.91)	−4.4%
Health care	0.21*	(0.14, 0.40)	3.4%	0.25	(−1.23, 0.69)	4.1%
Health behaviors	0.43	(−0.11, 0.97)	6.9%	0.33	(−3.34, 4.00)	5.4%
Psychological distress	3.90***	(2.97, 4.83)	63.05%	0.18	(−0.85, 1.21)	2.9%

*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001.

NHIS 2013 to 2018, U.S. adults age 18 to 64 years. N = 131,868 for pain in 3+ sites and 94,240 for chronic pain. Sexual minority adults are all adults who chose a sexual identity category other than straight. It includes gay, lesbian, bisexual, and “something else.” The latter term was the actual terminology used on the NHIS; it captures other non–heterosexual-identified adults. More information about the design of the sexual identity question is available elsewhere.⁵²