Resilience in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain: preliminary results of the thematic analysis

Description

Qualitative studies can provide a deeper understanding of reasons, why some individuals are more resilient and have a better quality of life and health behaviour despite chronic pain. The purpose of this presentation is to provide the preliminary results of the thematic analysis on how people with chronic musculoskeletal pain (HMP) describe their experience regarding the maintenance of resilience in long term.Keywords: chronic musculoskeletal pain, qualitative research, resilience, thematic analysis. Within a framework of the qualitative research strategy, semi-structured interviews with 17 research participants between the ages of 29 - 64 were conducted. People with HMP were purposefully selected for this study. The interview transcripts were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis by Braun and Clark (2006).. Three main themes with indicative subthemes were extracted from the interviews. People with HMP, prone to maintain their resilience in long term, 1) use cognitive emotion regulation strategies (cooperating with the disease rather than trying to defeat it, letting go of unrealistic expectations, setting positive reappraisal, seeing the meaning of life despite limitations caused by pain) 2) take responsibility for lifestyle (including regular physical activity or rehabilitation in daily routine, planning time for hobbies or activities that give pleasure and allow not to focus on the pain, reduce stress-causing factors), 3) seek informative, emotional, and practical support from family, friends, patient organizations, and health professionals, but at the same time not remain dependent on external support.. The ability to maintain resilience in the long term depends on the individual’s self-discipline and daily habits, readiness to change mindset as well as willingness to accept support when needed.

Period	30 Mar 2023
Event title	RSU Research Week 2023: Research Week 2023 Rīga Stradiņš University
Event type	Conference
Organiser	Riga Stradins University
Location	Riga, LatviaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International