Chronic Pain - Perceptions, Limitations and Implications. A Social Perspective

Abstract

Chronic pain (CP) is a complex phenomenon that affects the lives of individuals at the level of well-being, family relationships and social and professional life, causing biological and psychosocial changes, and in most cases, suffering. CP is associated with physical, professional and social limitations, and compromises quality of life (QOL) provoking insecurity which results in considerable social and material losses. In this context a multidimensional pain assessment is fundamental in order to find a swift and appropriate response to the needs of each individual. The evaluation should take into account psychological and social factors in addition to physical factors. pain (CP) is a complex phenomenon that affects the lives of individuals at the level of well-being, family relationships and social and professional life, causing biological and psychosocial changes, and in most cases, suffering. CP is associated with physical, professional and social limitations, and compromises quality of life (QOL) provoking insecurity which results in considerable social and material losses. In this context a multidimensional pain assessment is fundamental in order to find a swift and appropriate response to the needs of each individual. The evaluation should take into account psychological and social factors in addition to physical factors. The authors of this paper reinforce the idea that any evaluation and / or intervention that is made in people with CP must always take into account the internal and external factors of the environment in which the individual belongs, and which influence how they perceive and assess their pain Keywords: Chronic pain; biopsychosocial model; well-being; quality of life, suffering. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ResumoA dor crónica (DC) é um fenómeno complexo que interfere na vida dos indivíduos ao nível do bem-estar, nas relações familiares e sociais, e na vida profissional, provocando alterações biológicas, psicossociais e, na maioria das vezes, sofrimento. Associada às limitações físicas, profissionais e sociais, a DC compromete a qualidade de vida (QDV) e promove a insegurança, resultando em perdas materiais e sociais consideráveis. Neste contexto é fundamental uma abordagem multidimensional na avaliação da dor, de modo a encontrar uma resposta célere e adequada às necessidades de cada indivíduo. A avaliação deve ter em conta, além dos factores físicos, os factores psicológicos e os sociais. Os autores, neste artigo, reforçam a ideia que, qualquer avaliação e/ou intervenção que seja feita em pessoas com DC, deve ter sempre em conta os factores internos e externos do meio em que o indivíduo está inserido e que influenciam o modo como este percepciona e avalia a sua dor. r n a l d e I n v e s t i g a ç ã o B i o m é d i c a e B i o f a r m a c ê u t i c a Biomed Biopharm Res. Palavras