The following is a summary of “Associations of Gender Role and Pain in Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review,” published in the December 2024 issue of Pain by Pedulla et al.
Previous studies have explored the relationship between gender roles and pain experiences in individuals without health conditions, but there is limited research on this association in people living with musculoskeletal disorders.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine the association of sociocultural gender roles with pain outcomes in adults with musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders through a mixed-methods systematic review.
They reviewed literature from Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Embase, covering studies from inception to February 2023. The eligibility criteria included studies of adults with MSK pain disorders that explored the relationship between gender roles and pain across all primary qualitative and quantitative study designs. Gray literature, review articles, case studies, and conference proceedings were excluded. Risk of bias was evaluated using the Quality Appraisal for Diverse Studies for quantitative studies and the McMaster Quality Appraisal Tool for qualitative studies.
The results showed 11 studies were included, comprising 9 qualitative and 2 quantitative studies with 540 participants (19.6% women, 80.4% men) with various MSK disorders. A convergent integrated approach synthesized data from both study types, revealing 3 themes and 7 subthemes. The findings highlighted gender-based differences in how individuals attributed the cause of the pain, received treatment within a social and systemic context, and described the impact of pain on lives.
Investigators concluded pain management strategies should evolve to incorporate an understanding of the individual’s unique gender identity and roles to better address the specific pain experiences.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1526590024005947
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