The Economic and Cognitive Effects of Pain Reduction
Status:
Terminated
Trial end date:
2017-08-12
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Physical pain is a common but largely overlooked aspect of the lives of the poor. Not only
does pain directly reduce life quality and happiness, it may also hamper cognitive function
and, consequently, decision-making, productivity, and earnings. Workers with chronic pain may
work fewer days, take longer breaks, and make less-considered choices regarding inputs; all
outcomes that would reduce output and lead to greater impoverishment or impede the
productivity and profitability of microenterprises and firms. The investigators will take the
first steps in understanding the broader causal impact of physical pain on the cognitive and
economic lives of the poor via a randomized controlled trial (RCT). 450 low-income women in
Chennai, India, will be assigned to one of three treatment arms: 600 mg of over-the-counter
pain medication, a placebo pill, or no medication. The research will quantify the causal
impact of reduced pain on previously unstudied outcomes essential to escaping poverty
including cognitive function, productivity, and earnings.