Visual credit: Hidaya Tchassanti – Artistic director
Article written by Jessica Malutama-Chef of Sports and Well-Being desk
According to a recent studyadolescents with chronic pain are particularly vulnerable to loneliness. This phenomenon, linked to an ignorance of chronic pain by society and the medical environment, is accompanied by a tendency to minimize these sufferings, highlighting the need to transform practices and to make the public aware of this reality.
This research by Paula Forgeron, titular professor at the School of Nursing Sciences of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa (U of O), explores interactions between chronic pain and loneliness among adolescents .es the researcher highlights the ways in which these experiences influence each other and impact the social relations of these adolescents
Chronic pain and abandonment
The chronic pain Defines as a pain that persists beyond the healing of the tissues, generally for three months or more. This type of pain can be of primary (without underlying cause) or secondary (linked to another medical condition). “One in five Canadians will suffer from chronic pain during his life Informs Forgeron.
The solitudedistinct from social isolation, refers to a subjective experience, marked by the impression of not having a company or people with whom to share their concerns. Teenagers with chronic pains have higher solitudes levels than their peers, even when surrounded, says the professor.
The study in question distinguishes three types of solitudes: intimate, linked to the absence of close, social, due to the lack of a group of comrades, and collective, characterized by a feeling of disconnection towards its community or its school environment.
The researcher underlines that the black teenagers suffering from chronic pain experience these solitudes more interesting than their white peers.
These forms of loneliness increase the risk of depression and physical or mental disorders, with lasting effects until adulthood. The blacksmith’s study also notes that loneliness affects social well-being, such as self-esteem, and limit the ambitionsas evidenced by the low interest in university studies observed in adolescents with chronic pain that feel alone, even taking into account socio-economic factors.
Creed and minimized pain
“We feel very pain, that is part of the human condition. However, when the pain persists and prolongs, it often raises doubts and skepticism, ”explains blacksmith.
-The researcher develops that adolescents concerned see their friendships evolving or distegrating, their friends having difficulty understanding their inability to participate in some activities.
Olive Folsetter, student in Conflicts and Human Rights Studies at the U of O, testifies to the difficulties encountered with theendometriosis and the fibromyalgia : “I have had to cancel plans because my pains were too intense. It made me look like someone who does not want to do activities with his friends and who is not reliable. However, when I make plans, it is to make them happen, by to cancel them at the last minute ”.
Folsetter adds that his gender identity sometimes amplifies invisibilization and the feeling of difference: “The conditions I suffer mainly affect the women Cisgenres, but sometimes I feel in the margin because I identify myself as non-binary. It is often said that we have to help cisgenres women, but we forget that there are also non-binary people, transgender men, and, although very rarely, cisgenres men who are also concerned. That, and you can feel a little alone in all of this, ”shares IEL.
Forgeron recalls that chronic pain, although invisible, is a recognized medical condition. However, its absence of objective markers complicates its management. Chronic pain is therefore often rejected or minimized by society, whether at school, in the social circle of the persons concerned or in the medical environment.
“Nursery and doctors receive five times less pain in pain than veterinarians in the context of their university studies or their initial preparation programs for obtaining a license” she deplores, denouncing A glaring lack of awareness in the medical environment.
Rethink practices and mentalities
According to Forgeron, it is urgent to better understand and educate society in the reality of chronic pain to avoid discrediting the experience of those who suffer from it too quickly. Faced with these challenges, it pleads for concrete solutions such as adapted arrangements in schools (such as ergonomic chairs) and greater flexibility in the face of frequent absences of adolescents with chronic pain.
Folsetter calls for simplified access to school accommodation at university, often expensive and time -consuming. “I had to pay $ 75 for a medical ticket and wait two years to get official diagnostics. Although I am lucky for the financial issue, it is not a privilege that everyone has, “he says.
Social support between peers is also essential. Forgeron offers the creation of support groups to break isolation and promote exchanges: “Friends have an impact on pain, and pain has an impact on our ability to take part in our friendships. Everything is linked. Social functioning is an essential part of our life, and loneliness harms health. »»
The student of the U of O also offers the creation of support groups on the campus to allow students in similar situations to do community: “I know that there are many students. who have chronic pain, and it can be difficult to be in school with that. Have a community of people sharing the same experiences could really help. »»
For Folsetter, access to official diagnoses and the meeting of friends sharing similar experiences were decisive in the acceptance of his medical conditions. As for her, Forgeron believes that the proposed approaches could make it possible to counter loneliness and better understand the specific needs of adolescents. Es suffering from chronic pain, paving the way for inclusion and reinforced support.
