Trinity Western University’s winner of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Graduate Scholarships-Master’s Program (CIHR CGS-M) award, Julia Martin, researches the experience of meaning for Canadian women living well with chronic pain. Her work sheds light into a nationwide healthcare problem that costs an estimated $56 to $60 billion annually and disproportionately affects women, Indigenous people, veterans and other vulnerable populations.
“Chronic pain is a major and costly concern in Canada,” says Julia Martin, who studies Masters of Counselling Psychology at Trinity Western and is this year’s CIHR CGS-M award winner.
Martin is conducting research on the experience of meaning for Canadian women living well with chronic pain. Through her work Martin says she hopes to “contribute to the transformation of Canadian health outcomes and the reduction of costs associated with chronic pain, while simultaneously participating in the unsilencing of women as self-experts and advocates in their own medical care.”
“My hope with this study is to contribute to the repertoire of knowledge for clinicians working with chronic pain, by exploring the little-known significance of meaning for women with persistent pain,” Martin says.
Chronic pain affects one in five Canadians. Nationwide, it is one of the most common reasons for seeking health care. The estimated combined direct and indirect costs of chronic pain in Canada is approximately $56 to $60 billion per year, according to the Canadian Pain Task Force.
While the current biopsychosocial research model looks at how physical, social, and psychological factors affect the pervasiveness of pain, there is limited Canadian research on the lived experience of chronic pain.
“One thing that is emerging in the research is how meaning in life contributes to the experience of chronic pain,” says Martin. “We also know that women have a higher prevalence rate of chronic pain, but are less often participants in research.”
“Because of the nature of chronic pain, there is less emphasis on ‘curing’ it, as this is not always possible, but rather the focus is the possibility of living well with pain.”
Martin shares, “From here comes my research question: what is the lived experience of meaning for women living well with chronic pain?”
“My work is advocating that meaning is an important stand-alone construct and should be explored on its own merit, rather than always being a supplemental factor.”
To explore the lived experience of meaning for women living well with chronic pain, Martin intends to use Brown and Gilligan’s feminist and voice-centered Listening Guide methodology with an existential analysis framework.
Martin also shares what scientists already know about the link between meaning of life and chronic pain. “The studies have found that centering some of the work around meaning in life lead to better outcomes at the end of treatment,” says Martin. Better outcomes may include decrease in pain and comorbid conditions like anxiety and depression.
Through research into the lived experiences of Canadian women living well with chronic pain, Martin will contribute to the improvement of healthcare outcomes and the reduction of healthcare costs in Canada.
To participate in this research, contact Julia Martin: ChronicPainTWU@gmail.com
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About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to find and fulfill their purpose in life. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vibrant faith community devoted to supporting godly leaders seeking to have a transformational impact on culture.
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