title: Encountering the continuing challenges for women with chronic pain: recovery through recognition.
abstract: This work is based on experiences from a group treatment for women with chronic musculoskeletal pain. The authors explored the nature and consequences of the reported benefits from being met with recognition in the groups, focusing the potential usefulness in everyday life. In-depth interviews of six participants of various age and backgrounds were conducted. The women's answers reflected how recognition had enhanced strength, confidence, and awareness expressed as increased bodily, emotional, and social competence. This competence provided tools to handle their pain and illness. Achieving the sense of a better life with chronic pain represents an important recovery process. Because of the normative and gendered way the term "coping(ability)" has been used, the authors introduce recovery competence as a more fruitful concept.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Women's Studies and Gender Research, University of Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: Sissel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Steihaug
authors.forename: Kirsti
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Malterud
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D019513:Feminism; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D009664:Norway; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D059408:Pain Management; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012962:Sociology, Medical; D016387:Women's Health