Living successfully with chronic pain: Identifying the pivotal conditions needed to make it happen

IF 4 2区医学 Q1 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY

Journal of Pain Pub Date : 2025-02-09 DOI:10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105332

Mélanie Bérubé , Lesley Norris Singer , Line Guénette , Laurence Bourque , Suzy Ngomo , Anne Hudon

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Chronic pain is associated with many negative consequences for individuals and society. Given the burden it represents, many studies have focused on the risk factors involved, but very few have aimed to explain why some people live well with chronic pain, beyond the psychological realm. Thus, this study collected and analyzed different individual experiences to identify the pivotal conditions that help some individuals achieve quality of life despite chronic pain, with an emphasis on social considerations. We conducted a qualitative study using a narrative inquiry approach to unpack the participants’ stories on these pivotal conditions. We carried out 25 individual interviews with persons who considered they had been living well with their pain for a minimum of 6 months. Data were analyzed using the inductive narrative method. Most participants were women (64%), White (88%), with a high level of education, and having low back or generalized pain (56%). Three main themes were identified: 1) a care partnership, 2) a nurturing environment, and 3) breaking free from previous life to move forward. These themes were then divided into 11 sub-themes, providing an in-depth understanding of the pivotal conditions needed to live well with chronic pain. The data collected suggest that to enable people to have a favorable evolution in the presence of chronic pain, a socio-ecological approach could be necessary to counteract painogenic environments. However, these results need to be validated and adapted to different populations.

Perspective

This study highlights the importance of a socio-ecological approach to living well with chronic pain, emphasizing that care partnerships, a nurturing environment and the ability to break with the past are essential to improve the quality of life of those affected.

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来源期刊

Journal of Pain 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

6.30

自引率

7.50%

发文量

441

审稿时长

42 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Pain publishes original articles related to all aspects of pain, including clinical and basic research, patient care, education, and health policy. Articles selected for publication in the Journal are most commonly reports of original clinical research or reports of original basic research. In addition, invited critical reviews, including meta analyses of drugs for pain management, invited commentaries on reviews, and exceptional case studies are published in the Journal. The mission of the Journal is to improve the care of patients in pain by providing a forum for clinical researchers, basic scientists, clinicians, and other health professionals to publish original research.