BackgroundAlthough the challenges of living with chronic pain are widely documented within existing literature, to our knowledge, the acceptability of pain for people living with persistent pain, has not been fully explored. The current study aims to explore what ‘acceptable pain’ means to adults living with chronic non‐cancer pain (CPCP).MethodsA total of 117 participants (aged 21 to 77 years) worldwide were recruited using opportunity sampling. Participants completed an online qualitative survey. Qualitative analysis of the data used inductive reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsTwo themes were generated. The first theme—‘I grin and bear it’, described participants' desire and drive to push through their pain to live their daily lives to the best of their ability. Contrastingly, the second theme—‘Thriving versus surviving’, placed greater importance on leading meaningful and happy lives despite living with chronic pain. The acceptability of pain was found to be influenced by various factors including, but not limited to, pain severity, mental health, functionality, productivity and quality of life.ConclusionsIt can be difficult to identify when a clinically significant change in pain has occurred from numerical pain rating scales. We have identified two themes and a number of factors influencing the acceptability of pain. Understanding individuals' unique perceptions of what constitutes ‘acceptable pain’ is crucial for clinicians when assessing and managing chronic pain. Pain is a highly subjective experience, and what one person considers acceptable may differ significantly from another person's perspective. Recommendations to improve healthcare services for adults living with CNCP are proposed and directions for future research are explored.SignificanceAdults with CNCP have unique experiences of living with and managing their chronic pain. CNCP was found to affect biological, psychological, and social aspects of an individual's life. The acceptability of pain exists on a continuum where adjacent parts are not noticeably different from each other, but the extremes of the continuum appear very distinct. The acceptability of pain is determined by the different factors that influence an individuals' ability to function on a day‐to‐day basis as well as their quality of life. While acceptable pain and manageable pain represent distinct aspects of the pain experience, the relationship between them is complex and plays a crucial role in how individuals cope with and adapt to chronic pain.

中文翻译：

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疼痛可以接受吗？关于成人慢性疼痛认知的定性探索

背景尽管现有文献中广泛记录了慢性疼痛带来的挑战，但据我们所知，持续性疼痛患者对疼痛的可接受性尚未得到充分探讨。本研究旨在探讨“可接受的疼痛”对于患有慢性非癌性疼痛 (CPCP) 的成年人意味着什么。方法通过机会抽样招募了全球 117 名参与者（年龄 21 至 77 岁）。参与者完成了在线定性调查。数据的定性分析采用归纳反思主题分析。结果生成了两个主题。第一个主题——’我微笑着承受”，描述了参与者克服痛苦、尽其所能过日常生活的愿望和动力。相比之下，第二个主题——’繁荣与生存”，尽管患有慢性疼痛，但更加重视过有意义和幸福的生活。研究发现，疼痛的可接受性受到多种因素的影响，包括但不限于疼痛严重程度、心理健康、功能、生产力和生活质量。结论很难从数值上确定何时发生临床上显着的疼痛变化。疼痛等级量表。我们已经确定了两个主题和一些影响疼痛可接受性的因素。了解个人对“可接受的疼痛”的独特看法对于临床医生评估和治疗慢性疼痛至关重要。疼痛是一种高度主观的体验，一个人认为可以接受的体验可能与另一个人的观点有很大不同。提出了改善 CNCP 成人医疗保健服务的建议，并探讨了未来研究的方向。意义 CNCP 成人在忍受和管理慢性疼痛方面有着独特的经历。研究发现 CNCP 会影响个人生活的生物、心理和社会方面。疼痛的可接受性存在于一个连续体中，其中相邻部分彼此没有明显不同，但连续体的极端却显得非常明显。疼痛的可接受性取决于影响个人日常功能以及生活质量的不同因素。虽然可接受的疼痛和可控制的疼痛代表了疼痛体验的不同方面，但它们之间的关系很复杂，并且在个人如何应对和适应慢性疼痛方面发挥着至关重要的作用。