Researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia are seeking volunteers to understand attitudes and knowledge among chronic pain sufferers in order to develop better management strategies.
The team, led by Rachel Elphinston, includes scientists from the university’s School of Psychology and Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research.
Elphinston and colleague Dylan Samuel Chean Wei Tan are looking to recruit participants who are living with chronic pain caused by arthritis, injury, or surgery. Volunteers will complete a short online survey about their specific “pain experience”.
Recruitments are set to continue until the end August, but might go for longer depending on participation.
There are varying attitudes towards chronic pain, with some people believing that stress-management works to reduce it, and others favouring medications and surgery. It is these differing attitudes that Elphinston and her team wish to explore and understand.
They believe that a deeper understanding of people’s perceptions and outlooks regarding chronic pain could lead to the development of treatments that might target both physiological and psychological aspects of the condition.
To find out more about what the study involves and participate in it, click here.