Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Department of Health and Functioning, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Oct 14;24(1):2815. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20266-6.
The global increase in forcibly displaced populations highlights the importance of understanding their health needs. Chronic pain is prevalent among refugees, poses significant personal and public health challenges, and complicates their integration into new home countries. Understanding refugees' pain post-migration and how it is being managed is crucial for ensuring adequate and timely interventions and fostering health equity. This paper explores the associations between pain levels and the use of painkillers, healthcare services, and long-term impairment among Syrian refugees with chronic pain, one year after their resettlement in Norway.
This cross-sectional study is based on survey data collected from 353 quota refugees in 2018-19, one year after resettlement in Norway. The primary outcomes were the use of painkillers, the use of healthcare services, and long-term impairment, according to reported chronic pain levels. Associations between these outcomes and chronic pain levels were studied using Poisson regression, adjusted by sociodemographic variables and trauma experience.
Of the 353 adults included, 52% were women, and the median age was 36 years. A total of 5% reported very mild/mild, 10% moderate, and 12% strong/very strong chronic pain over the last four weeks. Significant associations were found between all chronic pain levels and use of non-prescription painkillers (adjusted relative risks (aRR) (95% CI)); mild (3.1 (2.0-4.7)), moderate (1.8 (1.1-2.8)), strong (1.7 (1.1-2.6)), and prescription painkillers; mild (4.6 (2.2-9.5)), moderate (5.6 (3.2-10.0)), strong (6.7 (3.9-11.3)), compared to those without chronic pain. Use of emergency rooms, specialist care, and hospitalization were significantly associated with strong chronic pain, with aRR (95% CI) of 2.0 (1.2-3.5), 3.9 (2.1-7.0) and 2.4 (1.3-4.4), respectively. Long-term impairment was strongly associated with chronic pain across all pain levels; mild (8.6 (5.6-13.49)), moderate (6.7 (4.3-10.5)) and strong (6.6 (4.3-10.4)).
Despite their young age, more than a quarter of the Syrian refugees in our study reported chronic pain one year after resettlement in Norway. High levels of pain were related to the use of medication, healthcare services, and long-term impairment. Understanding the dynamics of pain among refugees is crucial to ensure adequate and timely management.
全球被迫流离失所人口的增加凸显了了解他们健康需求的重要性。慢性疼痛在难民中普遍存在，对个人和公共健康构成重大挑战，并使他们融入新的祖国变得复杂。了解难民移民后的疼痛程度以及如何管理疼痛对于确保及时采取适当的干预措施和促进健康公平至关重要。本文探讨了在挪威重新安置一年后，患有慢性疼痛的叙利亚难民的疼痛程度与止痛药使用、医疗保健服务和长期损伤之间的关联。
本横断面研究基于 2018-19 年从 353 名配额难民中收集的调查数据，这些难民在挪威重新安置一年后进行了研究。主要结果是根据报告的慢性疼痛程度，使用止痛药、使用医疗保健服务和长期损伤的情况。使用泊松回归调整社会人口统计学变量和创伤经历后，研究了这些结果与慢性疼痛程度之间的关联。
在 353 名成年人中，52%为女性，中位年龄为 36 岁。在过去四周内，共有 5%报告有轻度/中度、10%有中度和 12%有重度/非常重度的慢性疼痛。在所有慢性疼痛程度与非处方止痛药的使用之间均发现显著关联（调整后的相对风险（aRR）（95%CI））；轻度（3.1（2.0-4.7））、中度（1.8（1.1-2.8））、重度（1.7（1.1-2.6））和处方止痛药；轻度（4.6（2.2-9.5））、中度（5.6（3.2-10.0））、重度（6.7（3.9-11.3）），与无慢性疼痛者相比。急诊室、专科护理和住院治疗与重度慢性疼痛显著相关，aRR（95%CI）分别为 2.0（1.2-3.5）、3.9（2.1-7.0）和 2.4（1.3-4.4）。长期损伤与所有疼痛水平的慢性疼痛密切相关；轻度（8.6（5.6-13.49））、中度（6.7（4.3-10.5））和重度（6.6（4.3-10.4））。
尽管他们年龄较小，但在我们的研究中，超过四分之一的叙利亚难民在挪威重新安置一年后报告患有慢性疼痛。高水平的疼痛与药物治疗、医疗保健服务和长期损伤有关。了解难民的疼痛动态对于确保及时采取适当的管理措施至关重要。
