Everyday life with chronic back pain: a qualitative study among Turkish immigrants in Denmark
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Background: Chronic back pain has a major physical and psycho-social impact. There have been few subjective assessments of everyday life in relation to migration and ethnicity. Through a descriptive and qualitative cross-cultural design, the aim was to develop an in-depth understanding of how Turkish immigrants experience living with back pain.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative study based on interviews with Turkish immigrants suffering from CBP recruited from a rheumatology outpatient clinic. The analysis was based on Giorgi’s phenomenological analysis.
Results: Eleven Turkish participants with chronic back pain (mean age 47.6) were recruited. Three essences resulted from the analysis: “Overwhelming and prevailing pain” – reflecting pain taking control of everyday life, “Being distressed in community life” – encompassing how pain causes changes in social roles, and “Looking for a way out of pain” – referring to feeling lost when being treated in the healthcare system, finding pain-management strategies and returning to Turkey for assistance.
Conclusion: Chronic back pain has a significant influence on daily life. Pain changes the feeling of identity relating to close relationships and in the Labor market. Most participants’ proficiency in Danish language skills posed a challenge for the existing treatment paradigm, in which information is crucial for successful rehabilitation.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative study based on interviews with Turkish immigrants suffering from CBP recruited from a rheumatology outpatient clinic. The analysis was based on Giorgi’s phenomenological analysis.
Results: Eleven Turkish participants with chronic back pain (mean age 47.6) were recruited. Three essences resulted from the analysis: “Overwhelming and prevailing pain” – reflecting pain taking control of everyday life, “Being distressed in community life” – encompassing how pain causes changes in social roles, and “Looking for a way out of pain” – referring to feeling lost when being treated in the healthcare system, finding pain-management strategies and returning to Turkey for assistance.
Conclusion: Chronic back pain has a significant influence on daily life. Pain changes the feeling of identity relating to close relationships and in the Labor market. Most participants’ proficiency in Danish language skills posed a challenge for the existing treatment paradigm, in which information is crucial for successful rehabilitation.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Disability and Rehabilitation |
Volume | 43 |
Issue number | 8 |
Pages (from-to) | 1162-1170 |
Number of pages | 9 |
ISSN | 0963-8288 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2021 |
ID: 232977117