Keeping On Track
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Keeping On Track: Exploring Socio-Developmental Challenges Faced by Young People with Chronic Pain and Their Families
IRAS ID
237547
Contact name
Abigail Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bath
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Summary of Research
For many young people, pain is a common but not problematic feature of life. However, for some young people, pain causes significant disability and challenges in their lives. Previous research has suggested that these young people have a sense that they are developmentally behind their friends, however we do not know more about what this looks like and how this sense of being behind is experienced.This study aims to explore the challenges that young people who experience pain and their families face.NHS staff will tell families about the study when they attend the Bath Centre for Pain Service for assessment. If they would like to know more, the researcher will talk to them after the assessment. They will then either be able to decide to take part there and then, or take information home to consider.
Once a family have agreed to take part, each member of the family who is taking part will have a telephone interview. These interviews will follow a general structure to explore the different challenges that the families face and how they manage these. If they consent to it, a second interview will be conducted 12 months later to get a better idea about how these challenges change over time.
The young people who experience pain will also complete online diaries during the year between the interviews. This will help us to gather more detail about how they experience their pain, and the difficulties it brings day to day. It will also help them to tell us about their experiences as they happen. They will also be encouraged to share content (pictures, memes, GIFs, links etc) with the study over social media. This will help us to understand how social media influences the social developmental of these young people.
Summary of Results
Over time, social development in our participants showed an interplay of constriction and expansion. Overall, most participants found that pain limited their development, but that there were several ways in which those limits help to drive their development forward. For example, pain may limit opportunities to engage with friends, but the challenges that it brings helps them to develop more mature problem solving and self-management skills.REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NW/0336
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jun 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion