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Chronic back pain sufferers--striving for the sick role
1Department of Health Services Research, Norwegian Directorate for Health and Social Welfare, PO Box 8054, N-0031 Oslo, Norway. claire.glenton@shdir.no
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|September 27, 2003
Summary
Chronic back pain sufferers often feel their pain is questioned, struggling to gain legitimacy and necessary sick role benefits. This highlights persistent challenges in healthcare despite evolving understandings of chronic illness.
Area of Science:
- Sociology of health and illness
- Medical sociology
- Chronic pain research
Background:
- Back pain sufferers frequently experience their pain being delegitimized.
- This delegitimization is linked to difficulties in achieving the 'sick role'.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how chronic back pain sufferers experience delegitimation.
- To analyze the role of the 'sick role' concept in these experiences.
- To examine patient-doctor dynamics in chronic pain management.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from a Norwegian online discussion list for back pain sufferers.
- Conducting open, in-depth interviews with Norwegian back pain sufferers.
Main Results:
- Sufferers fear their pain reality is questioned, leading to feelings of delegitimation.
- Lack of medical diagnosis, treatment, or visible disability results in accusations of malingering or mental illness.
- Difficulties in achieving sick role benefits like sick leave and medication are common.
Conclusions:
- The 'sick role' concept, though criticized for chronic illness, still reflects expectations of patients, professionals, and the public.
- Chronic illness does not decrease medical dependency; lack of diagnosis prolongs it.
- Doctors' inability to provide clear diagnosis or treatment for chronic back pain increases patient dependence.