The Process of Motivating Oneself to Resist Being Controlled by Chronic Pain: A Qualitative Study of Japanese Older People Living in the Community

Perceptions and experiences of chronic pain in older adults have not been fully explored. This study aimed to explore experiences and perceptions of life with chronic pain among older Japanese adults in the community. The grounded theory approach was used to identify a process model of older people's perceptions and experiences of living with chronic pain. Twenty-four people were recruited via snowball sampling. Ten participants had suffered from pain for 30 years or more. Data were collected through semistructured, individual interviews. Responses were transcribed verbatim, coded, and clustered. Categories were integrated using the constant comparison method. A core category-motivating oneself to resist being controlled by chronic pain-emerged from the analysis of experiences among participants with chronic pain. Participants alternated between two phases: losing the self in pain (phase 1) and regaining the self in pain (phase 2). Flare-up pain was commonly experienced, and immobility and suffering led older adults to adopt several strategies to live with their pain. In phase 2, older participants adopted several strategies, such as “letting sleeping dogs lie” and “cutting corners.” Their perceptions of and behaviors toward pain were often influenced by perceptions of their aging bodies. Nurses need to be aware of these conditions among older people with chronic pain and adjust their activities individually according to patient perceptions of their physical conditions.