Caught in suffering bodies: a qualitative study of immigrant women on long-term sick leave in Norway

This article explores the issues faced by immigrant women on long-term sick leave due to chronic pain, focusing on their personal perspectives on their daily lives, their bodies and their pain.

An increasing number of immigrants in Norway present a challenge to the public health service, above all in relation to the health needs of immigrant women, many of whom risk having to take long-term sick leave due to chronic pain.

This study has a qualitative design, with participant observation and in-depth interviews.

Participant observations were carried out from a sample of fourteen immigrant women in an outpatient clinic at a rehabilitation hospital. In addition, qualitative interviews were conducted after the rehabilitation period. A hermeneutic approach was used to understand the meaning of the narrated text.

The analysis revealed one main theme, 'Bodies marked by onerous experiences', as well as two subthemes: 'It is in my body' and 'Invisible pain'. The immigrant women struggled with invisible, chronic pain, which they blamed on physically tiring workdays and stressful life situations. Furthermore, they felt that their experiences of discriminative attitudes at the workplace worsened their suffering.

The chronic pain made the immigrant women suffer, because they experienced it as a threatening, incomprehensible and unreal force, without meaning or the ability to be controlled. Their own psychological distress exacerbated their pain.

Immigrant women on long-term sick leave are likely to need special approaches that are closely adapted to their different backgrounds and their unique personal experiences. We recommend culturally appropriate family counselling and collaboration with employers at the women's workplaces.