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. 2017 Sep 7;4(2):2055102917724336.
doi: 10.1177/2055102917724336. eCollection 2017 Jul-Dec.

A qualitative exploration of the experiences of living with and being treated for fibromyalgia

Simon C Ashe  1 , Penny J Furness  1 , Sophie J Taylor  1 , Sarah Haywood-Small  1 , Kim Lawson  1
Affiliations

A qualitative exploration of the experiences of living with and being treated for fibromyalgia

Simon C Ashe et al. Health Psychol Open. .

Abstract

This study explores the life and treatment experience of people in the United Kingdom with fibromyalgia in order to inform the development of treatments which are both effective and acceptable to users. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 14 participants with interpretative phenomenological analysis used as the theoretical framework and analytical method. The themes identified were as follows: Inauthenticity of fibromyalgia, An Unconventional healthcare experience, Re-creating support networks, Challenging the working identity, Threatening the family dynamic and Fighting, accepting or accommodating? The biopsychosocial impacts of fibromyalgia disrupted the identity, lifestyle, roles and relationships of our participants with such challenges further exacerbated by the contested nature of the illness.

Keywords: chronic illness; fibromyalgia; interpretative phenomenological analysis; qualitative methods; treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

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