From the Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon, Centre for Social Research and Intervention (Cis-iscte), Portugal.
From the Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon, Centre for Social Research and Intervention (Cis-iscte), Portugal.
Pain Manag Nurs. 2023 Aug;24(4):375-383. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2023.03.003. Epub 2023 Apr 8.
Chronic pain is a worldwide public health challenge. Despite chronic pain having biopsychosocial dimensions, its social contexts are less investigated. Although current evidence shows that chronic pain shapes and is shaped by interactions with romantic partners, research about friendships and chronic pain is scarce, and mostly focused on adolescents.
Drawing upon theories on friendship and social support, this study aimed to investigate the role of adult friendships on chronic pain adjustment and, the effect of chronic pain on adult friendships.
This study drew upon a qualitative descriptive methodology. Sixteen adults with primary or secondary (non-cancer) chronic pain participated in individual semi-structured interviews, conducted using voice over internet protocol applications. Data analysis was guided by Clarke and Brown's guidelines for thematic analysis.
The analysis of participants' (87.5% women; M = 43 years) stories revealed two themes. The first captured how friends promote/hinder adjustment to chronic pain by being: (1) (un)available and providing (un)needed support; and (2) (not)accepting and (not)accommodating to support life engagement. The second captured the negative effect of chronic pain on both parties' attitudes and behaviors towards the relationship, leading to smaller and more homogeneous friendship networks.
This study stresses the relevance of including adult friends in interventions to reduce the negative effect of chronic pain on friendships, harnessing their power to promote chronic pain adjustment. The findings bring new insights on a topic that has rarely been investigated in the pain field, hence pointing out innovative directions for future research and practice.
慢性疼痛是一个全球性的公共卫生挑战。尽管慢性疼痛具有生物心理社会维度，但对其社会背景的研究较少。尽管现有证据表明慢性疼痛是通过与浪漫伴侣的相互作用而形成和塑造的，但关于友谊和慢性疼痛的研究很少，而且大多集中在青少年身上。
本研究借鉴友谊和社会支持理论，旨在探讨成人友谊对慢性疼痛调整的作用，以及慢性疼痛对成人友谊的影响。
本研究采用定性描述性方法。16 名患有原发性或继发性（非癌症）慢性疼痛的成年人参与了个体半结构化访谈，访谈使用互联网语音协议应用程序进行。数据分析遵循 Clarke 和 Brown 的主题分析指南。
对参与者（87.5%为女性；M=43 岁）故事的分析揭示了两个主题。第一个主题描述了朋友如何通过以下方式促进/阻碍慢性疼痛的调整：（1）（不可用）和提供（不必要的）支持；以及（2）（不）接受和（不）适应支持生活参与。第二个主题描述了慢性疼痛对双方对关系的态度和行为的负面影响，导致友谊网络更小、更同质化。
本研究强调了在减少慢性疼痛对友谊的负面影响的干预措施中纳入成人朋友的重要性，利用他们的力量促进慢性疼痛的调整。研究结果为疼痛领域一个很少被研究的课题提供了新的见解，为未来的研究和实践指明了创新方向。
