Talking about chronic pain in family settings: a glimpse of older persons’ everyday realities

Abstract

Background The expression of chronic pain remains a delicate matter for those older persons who suffer from this condition. If many studies highlight the difficulties of putting pain into words, scarce are those that take into account how given social networks can facilitate or prevent its expression. Based on a qualitative study that explores the communication about chronic pain in older persons’ social network, this article reports on this key issue of talking about health in later life within family settings and provides clinicians with information about the way older persons with chronic conditions perceive their everyday realities and social relations. Methods A multidisciplinary research team (medicine, linguistics and psychology) interviewed 49 persons with chronic pain, all from the French-speaking part of Switzerland, aged 75 and older, without any major cognitive or auditory impairments. After transcription, the interviews were analyzed by combining content and discourse analysis with social network theories. Results Communication about chronic pain depends significantly on the position of the interlocutors within the family structure, with a preference for direct relatives or individuals with similar difficulties. In social networks, the ability to communicate about chronic pain is both a resource (by allowing older persons to get help or by strengthening interpersonal relations) and a challenge (by threatening their autonomy, social relations or self-esteem). Conclusions The study shows the predominance of the nuclear family (partner, children) in communication relating specifically to the everyday management of chronic pain. This state of affairs is, nevertheless, balanced by issues of (loss of) autonomy. These findings, in line with current trends in geriatrics, could benefit future reflections on the scope and limits of including relatives in the care of older patients with chronic conditions.

Pain intensity and self‐perceived burden mediate the relationship between family functioning and pain catastrophizing in patients with neuropathic pain

“…Social isolation is common for pain patients (Martinez‐Calderon et al, 2022). Compared with most people on social networks, family members become the primary source of interpersonal communication for pain patients (Merminod et al, 2022). Therefore, family support may be more critical in generating and reducing self‐perceived burdens in pain patients than other social supports.…”

Experiences of pain and pain management in advanced disease and serious illness for people from South Asian communities in Leeds and Bradford: a qualitative interview study

“…However, the small amount of research conducted on this topic has illustrated the importance of understanding these complex dynamics. One study found that the ability of older people to communicate about pain within family networks was both a resource (by allowing people to get help or by strengthening interpersonal relations), and a challenge (by threatening their autonomy, social relations or self-esteem) [ 36 ]. Another scoping review of pain communication in families when parents were experiencing pain, found it was dependent on a number of factors including, the skills that members possess which they perform both individually and together [ 37 ].…”