I can suppress the pain, but then what? : seeking resolution to chronic musculoskeletal pain among immigrants from China
department or school: Education, Faculty of
department or school: Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Law, Ada Kwan Wing
issued: 2020-10-21T21:54:57Z
issued: 2020
related degree: Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a common problem among working aged adults (McIntosh & Hall, 2007). It reduces quality of life, is challenging to diagnose and treat, and incurs a significant economic burden on society (Woolf & Pfleger, 2003). Evidence indicates that one’s cultural background has major relevance in their pain experience and associated coping behaviours (Gatchel et al., 2007). To date, studies investigating cultural influences in musculoskeletal pain have primarily taken a deductive and quantitative approach in accessing culture, which can limit the researcher from acquiring a rich and contextualized picture of an ethnic culture (Waldram, 2006). The current study aims to construct knowledge about a large but under-researched ethnic minority group in Canada—immigrants from mainland China—using Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2006), a methodology that allows for the accessing of cultures in a contextualized and naturalistic form. Twenty-four first-generation immigrants from mainland China living in Metro Vancouver, Canada, with chronic musculoskeletal pain were interviewed about their pain management experiences. Through theoretical sampling, coding, writing and sorting memos, and diagramming, concepts were constructed and formed into a theoretical framework explaining how immigrants from China (ICs) manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. Results indicate that ICs try to resolve their pain by being cautious (i.e., opting for low-risk methods), self-reliant (i.e., handling the pain on one’s own), proactive (i.e., actively seeking information and solutions), and critical (i.e., evaluating medical opinions, recommendations, and services). Those with mild pain self-manage using mainly cautious and self-reliant approaches, whereas those with severe pain also use proactive and critical approaches. These approaches are informed by underlying pain-related beliefs (e.g., that medications are toxic), moral values (e.g., one ought to face pain courageously)…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/76326
note: I CAN SUPPRESS THE PAIN, BUT THEN WHAT? SEEKING RESOLUTION TO CHRONIC MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN AMONG IMMIGRANTS FROM CHINA by ADA KWAN WING LAW B.A., The University of British Columbia, 2003 M.A., The University of Waterloo, 2006 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Counselling Psychology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) October 2020 © Ada Kwan Wing Law, 2020 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: I can suppress the pain, but then what? Seeking resolution to chronic musculoskeletal pain among immigrants from China submitted by Ada Kwan Wing Law in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology Examining Committee: Izabela Z. Schultz, Professor, Dept. of ECPS, Counselling Psychology Supervisor Richard A. Young, Professor, Dept. of ECPS, Counselling Psychology Supervisory Committee Member Miu Chung Yan, Professor, School of Social Work Supervisory Committee Member Fumio Ishu Ishiyama, Associate Professor, Dept. of ECPS, Counselling Psychology University Examiner Kenneth D. Craig, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Psychology University Examiner iii ABSTRACT Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a common problem among working aged adults (McIntosh & Hall, 2007). It reduces quality of life, is challenging to diagnose and treat, and incurs a significant economic burden on society (Woolf & Pfleger, 2003). Evidence indicates that one’s cultural background has major relevance in their pain experience and associated coping behaviours (Gatchel et al., 2007). To date, studies investigating cultural influences in musculoskeletal pain have primarily taken a deductive and quantitative approach in accessing culture, which can limit the researcher from acquiring a rich and contex…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2020-11
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0394778
language: eng
degree discipline: Counselling Psychology
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/76326