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Rice K, Connoy L, Webster F. Gendered Worlds of Pain: Women, Marginalization, and Chronic Pain. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2024:104626. [PMID: 39002740 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
The importance of gender is undertheorized in chronic pain research, meaning extant research cannot sufficiently shed light on how chronic pain experience and treatment are connected to institutions and societal structures. Much literature on gender and pain is not critical in orientation, making it difficult to translate data into recommendations for improved treatment and care. Our study takes a critical approach informed by social theory to understand chronic pain among women who experience socioeconomic marginalization. Drawing on a gender-based subanalysis of interview data collected in Canada as part of an institutional ethnography of chronic pain among people who are socioeconomically marginalized, from women's narratives, we identified 4 themes that speak to gender, chronic pain, and marginalization. These are 1) gendered minimization of women's health concerns, 2) managing intergenerational poverty, 3) living with violence and trauma, and 4) gendered organization of family care. Together, these themes highlight how women's experiences of chronic pain and marginalization amplify gendered vulnerabilities in health care, social services, and society in general. Our findings depict a deeply gendered experience of chronic pain that is inseparable from the daily struggle of managing one's life with pain with heavy responsibilities, the baggage of past trauma, and responsibility for others with few resources. We emphasize the importance of chronic pain care and health and social services that are both gender- and trauma-informed. PERSPECTIVE: This article draws on an institutional ethnography (a holistic qualitative methodology) of chronic pain and socioeconomic marginalization to demonstrate the importance of chronic pain care and health and social services that are both gender- and trauma-informed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen Rice
- Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Laura Connoy
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Fiona Webster
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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Connoy L, Solomon M, Longo R, Sud A, Katz J, Dale C, Stanley M, Webster F. Attending to Marginalization in The Chronic Pain Literature: A Scoping Review. Can J Pain 2024; 8:2335500. [PMID: 38831969 PMCID: PMC11146439 DOI: 10.1080/24740527.2024.2335500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Background There has been a recent and, for many within the chronic pain space, long-overdue increase in literature that focuses on equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDI-D) to understand chronic pain among people who are historically and structurally marginalized. Aims In light of this growing attention in chronic pain research, we undertook a scoping review of studies that focus on people living with chronic pain and marginalization to map how these studies were carried out, how marginalization was conceptualized and operationalized by researchers, and identify suggestions for moving forward with marginalization and EDI-D in mind to better support people living with chronic pain. Methods We conducted this scoping review using critical analysis in a manner that aligns with dominant scoping review frameworks and recent developments made to scoping review methodology as well as reporting guidelines. Results Drawing on 67 studies, we begin with a descriptive review of the literature followed by a critical review that aims to identify fissures within the field through the following themes: (1) varying considerations of sociopolitical and socioeconomic contexts, (2) conceptual conflations between sex and gender, and (3) differing approaches to how people living with chronic pain and marginalization are described. Conclusion By identifying strengths and limitations in the research literature, we aim to highlight opportunities for researchers to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of marginalization in chronic pain experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Connoy
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Family School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michelle Solomon
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Family School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Riana Longo
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Family School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Abhimanyu Sud
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joel Katz
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Craig Dale
- Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Tory Trauma Program, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Meagan Stanley
- Western Libraries, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Fiona Webster
- Arthur and Sonia Labatt Family School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
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Bailey NGN, Knott R, Grenier G, Craig KD, Kramer JLK. Physical pain among Indigenous Peoples in Canada: a scoping review. Can J Anaesth 2023; 70:1047-1063. [PMID: 37341897 DOI: 10.1007/s12630-023-02461-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Pain is a multifaceted experience shaped by various factors including context of pain, previous life events, and ongoing ethnocultural circumstances. Moreover, the definition of pain is inconsistent across cultures. Western medicine views physical pain (e.g., associated with a bone fracture) and nonphysical mental pain (e.g., depression) as two distinct conditions. Indigenous perspectives are often more wholistic, encompassing mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical hurt. The subjective nature of pain invites ample opportunity for discrimination in both its assessment and management. As such, it is important to consider Indigenous perspectives of pain in research and clinical practice. To investigate which aspects of Indigenous pain knowledge are currently considered by Western research, we conducted a scoping review of the literature on pain in Indigenous Peoples of Canada. SOURCE In June 2021, we searched nine databases and downloaded 8,220 papers after removal of duplicates. Two independent reviewers screened abstracts and full-text articles. PRINCIPLE FINDINGS Seventy-seven papers were included in the analysis. Using grounded theory, five themes emerged: pain measures/scales (n = 7), interventions (n = 13), pharmaceuticals (n = 17), pain expression/experiences (n = 45), and pain conditions (n = 70). CONCLUSION This scoping review shows that there is a paucity of research on pain measurement in Indigenous Peoples of Canada. This finding is concerning in light of numerous studies reporting that Indigenous Peoples experience their pain as ignored, minimized, or disbelieved. Furthermore, a clear disconnect emerged between pain expression in Indigenous Peoples and assessment in medical professionals. We hope that this scoping review will serve to translate current knowledge to other non-Indigenous academics and to initiate meaningful collaboration with Indigenous partners. Future research led by Indigenous academics and community partners is critically needed to better address pain needs in Canada.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole G N Bailey
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Robbie Knott
- Indigenous Research Support Initiative, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Georgia Grenier
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kenneth D Craig
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - John L K Kramer
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Nelson EUE, Kitchen C. Cannabis use for pain relief in the context of health service barriers: Accounts of street-involved Nigerian women suffering chronic pain. Drug Alcohol Rev 2023; 42:309-317. [PMID: 36193548 DOI: 10.1111/dar.13559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION This study explored cannabis use for pain relief among socially marginalised Nigerian women in the context of barriers to pain management. METHODS The study was designed as a qualitative exploratory study of pain experience and management. Sixteen in-depth, individual interviews were conducted with street-involved women who use drugs and had chronic pain. Transcripts were coded and analysed thematically. RESULTS Pain was experienced as a pervasive feature of everyday life that disrupted daily routines, affected economic activities, strained social relationships and had adverse effects on health and wellbeing. Participants sought treatment in health facilities, but faced social and health system barriers to service utilisation including financial cost of services, dismissal of symptoms by providers, stigma due to physical appearance, substance use and lack of social support. These barriers encouraged disengagement from services and reliance on cannabis (along with heroin and diverted prescription opioids) for pain management. Cannabis use relieved pain and improved daily functioning, enabling participants to undertake economic activities. However, using cannabis to enhance the effects of opioids and heavy and long-term use owing to pain chronicity and disability generated concerns about harms. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Findings show the therapeutic benefits of cannabis in the face of barriers to pain management. This support calls to explore the potentials of cannabis for pain management for socially marginalised populations and to develop medical guidelines to reduce the risk of adverse health consequences. Therapeutic cannabis, provided based on medical guidance, could improve pain management for socially marginalised populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ediomo-Ubong E Nelson
- Global Drug Policy Observatory, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
- Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Chenai Kitchen
- School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi, China
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Atkins N, Mukhida K. The relationship between patients’ income and education and their access to pharmacological chronic pain management: A scoping review. Can J Pain 2022; 6:142-170. [PMID: 36092247 PMCID: PMC9450907 DOI: 10.1080/24740527.2022.2104699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Atkins
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Karim Mukhida
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Nelson EUE. Structural violence and barriers to pain management during an opioid crisis: accounts of women who use drugs in Nigeria. HEALTH SOCIOLOGY REVIEW : THE JOURNAL OF THE HEALTH SECTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2022; 31:232-246. [PMID: 34229585 DOI: 10.1080/14461242.2021.1950024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Chronic pain management among marginalised populations have been extensively researched in North America, particularly amidst the opioid crisis. But little published research exists on this subject from Africa. This study explored experiences and management of chronic pain among marginalised women in the context of regulation of opioid prescribing using data from 16 qualitative interviews with women who use drugs (WWUD) in Uyo, Nigeria. Chronic pain was exacerbated by structural and everyday violence that acted to marginalise women and create a context of risk for inadequately managed pain. Participants experienced difficulty accessing biomedical pain management due to structural and systemic barriers, including cost, restrictions on opioid prescribing, stigma and other discriminatory practices, communication barriers and lack of social support. Restrictions on opioid prescribing and systemic discriminations against marginalised WWUD encouraged reliance on informal sources for falsified and substandard medications for pain treatment, which increased the risk of harm. Findings highlight a need for multi-component responses that address structural and systemic barriers to pain management, including improving access to opioid medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ediomo-Ubong Ekpo Nelson
- Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse, University Post Office, Uyo, Nigeria
- International Blue Cross, Uyo, Nigeria
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Nelson EUE, Alichie BO. Chronic Pain and Prescription Opioid Use Among Socially Marginalized Nigerian Women: Exploring Supply Channels and Pathways to Misuse. JOURNAL OF DRUG ISSUES 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/00220426221083655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This study explores pathways to prescription opioid misuse and supply channels based on in-depth interviews with 16 socially marginalized Nigerian women suffering chronic pain. The pathways identified were medical pain treatment, prior substance use and opioid use for recreation and coping with psychological distress. Facing barriers to prescription opioids due to prescribing restrictions and provider stigma, many resorted to unlicensed chemist stores and street drug dealers for opioid analgesics, including fake and potentially harmful products. Patterns of prescription opioid misuse were woven into multiple and overlapping dynamics of marginalization shaping the lives of these women, including homelessness, sex work, substance use and intimate partner violence. Findings show a need to improve access to prescription opioids and other evidence-based approaches, framed within a trauma-informed approach to pain management. Further, integrating substance abuse treatment and pain management could make services responsive to the inter-related problems of chronic pain and prescription opioid misuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ediomo-Ubong E. Nelson
- Global Drug Policy Observatory, Swansea University, Singleton Park, UK
- Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse, Uyo, Nigeria
| | - Bridget O. Alichie
- Department of Sociology, University of Alberta, Canada
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
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Wang L, Dowdy DW, Comins CA, Young K, Mcingana M, Mulumba N, Mhlophe H, Chen C, Hausler H, Schwartz SR, Baral S, Mishra S. Health-related quality of life of female sex workers living with HIV in South Africa: a cross-sectional study. J Int AIDS Soc 2022; 25:e25884. [PMID: 35212470 PMCID: PMC8874880 DOI: 10.1002/jia2.25884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important HIV outcome beyond viral suppression. However, there are limited data characterizing HRQoL of key populations, including female sex workers (FSW) living with HIV. Methods We used baseline data (22 June 2018–23 March 2020) of FSW who were diagnosed with HIV and enrolled into a randomized trial in Durban, South Africa. HRQoL information was collected by a generic preference‐accompanied tool with five domains (EQ‐5D), and summarized into a single score (range 0–1), which represents health utility. We employed multivariable beta regression models to identify determinants of HRQoL and to estimate subgroup‐specific HRQoL score. Using external estimates of life expectancy and population size, we estimated the number of quality adjusted life years reduced among FSW living with HIV in South Africa associated with violence and drug use. Results Of 1,363 individuals (mean age: 32.4 years; mean HRQoL score: 0.857) in our analysis, 62.6% used drugs, 61.3% experienced physical or sexual violence and 64.6% self‐reported taking antiretroviral treatment (ART). The following were associated with a reduction in the average marginal HRQoL score: older age (per decade: 0.018 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.008, 0.027]), drug use (0.022 [0.007, 0.036]), experience of violence (0.024 [0.010, 0.038]) and moderate (vs. no) level of internalized stigma (0.023 [0.004, 0.041]). Current ART use was associated with a 0.015‐point (–0.001, 0.031) increase in the HRQoL score. The estimated mean (95% CI) HRQoL scores ranged from 0.838 (0.816, 0.860) for FSW who used drugs, experienced violence and were not on ART; to 0.899 (0.883, 0.916) for FSW who did not use drugs nor experience violence and were on ART. Our results can be translated into a reduction in 37,184 and 39,722 quality adjusted life years related to drug use and experience of violence, respectively, in South Africa. Conclusions These results demonstrate the association of ART with higher HRQoL among FSW and the need to further address structural risks, including drug use, violence and stigma. Population‐specific estimates of HRQoL score can be further used to calculate quality‐adjusted life years in economic evaluations of individual and structural interventions addressing the needs of FSW living with HIV. Clinical Trial Registration NCT03500172 (April 17, 2018).
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Affiliation(s)
- Linwei Wang
- MAP-Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - David W Dowdy
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Carly A Comins
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Claire Chen
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Sheree R Schwartz
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Stefan Baral
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Sharmistha Mishra
- MAP-Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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- MAP-Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,TB HIV Care, Cape Town, South Africa
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Craig KD, Holmes C, Hudspith M, Moor G, Moosa-Mitha M, Varcoe C, Wallace B. Pain in persons who are marginalized by social conditions. Pain 2020; 161:261-265. [PMID: 31651578 PMCID: PMC6970566 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 08/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth D. Craig
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Cindy Holmes
- School of Social Work, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Colleen Varcoe
- School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Bruce Wallace
- School of Social Work, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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Bostick GP, Dick BD, Wood M, Luckhurst B, Tschofen J, Wideman TW. Pain Assessment Recommendations for Women, Made by Women: A Mixed Methods Study. PAIN MEDICINE 2018; 19:1147-1155. [PMID: 28549183 DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnx137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Objective To quantitatively describe women's priorities for pain assessment and qualitatively explain unique features of women's pain experiences. Design Mixed-methods study that included a three-round Delphi study followed by in-depth interviews. Setting Clinical research study. Participants Twenty-three women with chronic pain recruited from three women's pain treatment facilities and one interdisciplinary chronic pain clinic. Methods Phase 1 (Delphi) involved completion of a questionnaire that rated agreement with the importance of 32 commonly used pain assessment measures. Answers were compiled, and controlled feedback was provided after each round. This iterative process continued until acceptable stability was reached. Stability was defined as proportion agreement for each response that reached the a priori cutoff score of 75%. Phase 2 (qualitative) involved one-to-one telephone interviews that followed a semistructured interview guide partially informed from phase 1 findings. A descriptive approach summarized and described participants' perspectives while avoiding abstractions. Textual data were analyzed using content analysis. Results Phase 1 identified 15 pain assessments as important. Some commonly used pain assessment measures such as the numeric pain intensity rating scale did not reach agreement as important. However, no pain assessments reached agreement as unimportant. Ten additional women completed face-to-face interviews, and an overall theme of stigmatization emerged that highlighted the importance of soliciting the pain narrative and why some aspects of psychosocial pain assessment did not reach agreement. Conclusions Priorities identified by women for the assessment of pain were largely consistent with expert recommendations; however, important differences were raised that merit consideration for clinicians to reduce stigma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bruce D Dick
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Psychiatry and Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Mary Wood
- Cura Physical Therapies, Edmonton, Canada
| | | | | | - Timothy W Wideman
- School of Occupational and Physical Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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