title: Revising the negative meaning of chronic pain - A phenomenological study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic pain may disable the body, depress the mind and ruin the quality of life. The aim of this study was to use the participants' personal experiences to explore the meaning of the experience of chronic pain and to find successful ways to manage chronic pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-four participants with chronic pain were interviewed. The transcribed interviews were analysed using Giorgi's phenomenological method consisting of four phases: (1) reading the transcriptions several times, (2) discriminating meaning units, (3) collecting meaning units into groups and (4) the synthesis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The participants stated that the key to managing chronic pain was to reconsider the individual meaning of the experience of pain. As a result of the interviews, seven subthemes were found based on the 'Negativity of chronic pain', namely, 'State of reflection', 'Reconsidering values', 'Acceptance of pain', 'Support network', 'Altered self', 'Joys in life' and 'Pain dissociation'.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pain is an aversive sensation, which leads to the conclusion that the meaning of the experience is also negative, but it can be reversed. In clinical practice, the focus should be on revising the subjective meaning of pain in order to manage pain and to restore positivity in personal life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland tapsa.ojala@pp.inet.fi.
authors.forename: Tapio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ojala
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Jyväskylä Central Hospital, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Arja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Häkkinen
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Center, Oulu, Finland Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Jaro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karppinen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Dentistry, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland Oral and Maxillofacial Department, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland Department of Prosthetic Dentistry and Stomatognathic Physiology, Institute of Dentistry, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland Oral and Maxillofacial Department, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Kirsi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sipilä
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suutama
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Arja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piirainen
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Chronic pain; life change events; quality of life