Objectives The research explored how individuals experience chronic pain within their everyday social contexts over a 12-month period. The study focused on the interplay between pain and social worlds, through analysis of experiences of social relationships included in engagement in meaningful activities such as hobbies and work.
Design Drawing on ethnographic approaches from social science, the study involved 295 research visits with 19 participants living with chronic pain (totalling approximately 418 hours of fieldwork) and 48 semistructured interviews (around 30 hours). Setting The study was carried out in South West England, UK.
Participants 19 participants were identified through the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents, 12 women and 7 men, all identifying as white British, aged between 32 and 33 years. Results The analysis identified three key themes: (1) Social connections and everyday fluctuations in chronic pain; and (2) the interplay between work, family roles and fluctuations in chronic pain; and (3) Social spiralling and fluctuations in chronic pain.
BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 01 Apr 2026.
The item focuses on Everyday social contexts influence fluctuations into and out of chronic pain: an ethnographic study in England.
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