Women living with fibromyalgia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

We explored the experiences of women with fibromyalgia during the COVID-19 pandemic from a qualitative approach by interviewing eighteen women. We identified seven main themes after performing a thematic analysis: pain description, pain triggers, impact, coping strategies, treatment for pain, pain onset and general situation. In general, pain worsened during the pandemic, and activity restrictions and changes in social interactions were particularly related with that. Pain negatively impacted different life domains: mental health, physical health, cognitive status, social activities and daily activities. Coping strategies varied slightly after the pandemic outbreak, and treatment was interrupted for some women. Results reflect that the pandemic was challenging for women living with fibromyalgia, and highlight the need to develop specific interventions for them in the context of potential future health emergencies.

Chronic neck and low back pain from personal experiences: a written narrative approach.

Background: Chronic neck and low back pain are very common and have detrimental effects for people and society. In this study, we explore the experiences of individuals with neck and/or back pain using a written narrative methodology. Materials & methods: A total of 92 individuals explained their pain experience using written narratives. Narratives were analyzed through thematic analysis and text data mining. Results: Participants wrote about their experience in terms of pain characteristics, diagnosis process, pain consequences, coping strategies, pain triggers, well-being and future expectations. Text data mining allowed us to identify concurrent networks that were basically related with pain characteristics, management and triggers. Conclusion: Written narratives are useful to understand individuals' experiences from their point of view.

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Written narratives to understand the experience of individuals living with fibromyalgia.

PURPOSE: To explore the experiences of individuals with fibromyalgia (FM) through written narratives (WN) and to preliminarily investigate the potential value of these narratives for healthcare professionals in assessing the overall perceived severity and disability experienced by individuals with FM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 46 participants with a FM diagnosis. They were asked to complete a WN task that aimed to capture their personal experiences. The degree of severity and disability expressed in their texts was assessed by researchers, and participants were also asked to complete the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), and the Tampa Scale for Kinesophobia. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Eight main themes were identified after qualitatively analysing the narratives provided by participants: story of their illness, FM characteristics, other illnesses, impact, coping strategies, social support, pain triggers and treatments. Pain emerges as a profound symptom affecting mental, physical, and social well-being, with diverse triggers and coping mechanisms. Participants highlighted difficulties in the diagnostic process, used multiple treatment strategies, and expressed a lack of understanding from healthcare professionals and society. There were significant correlations between researchers' assessments of severity and disability of the writings and FIQR and HAD scores. This study emphasises the value of narratives in capturing the multifaceted nature of FM experiences and hints at their potential for clinical understanding and management.

Human resource practices and employee wellbeing from a gender perspective: The role of organizational justice / Prácticas de recursos humanos y bienestar de los empleados desde una perspectiva de género: el papel de la justicia organizacional

Abstract Introduction/objective: HR practices have been widely studied in the literature. However, critical research gaps remain unexplored. Little attention has been paid to the relationship between HR practices and well-being, or the mechanisms that explain the effect of HR on employees' wellbeing, and the role of gender in this relationship. Hence, this study aims to examine the relationship between HR practices and well-being (eudemonic and hedonic) through organizational justice, taking into account gender. Method: A convenience sampling technique was used in a correlational design. The sample was composed of 1647 employees from 42 Spanish organizations. Our measures were HR practices, organizational justice, and hedonic and eudemonic wellbeing. Multi-group structural equation models were computed. Results: The results supported our hypothesis, which mainly stated that (1) organizational justice (distributive, procedural and interactional justice) mediated the relationship between HR practices and eudemonic and hedonic well-being; (2) there were differences between men and women in this mediation. Conclusions: Human resource practices and organizational justice offer tools to HR managers in order to maintain and improve employees' well-being levels within their organizations.

Resumen Introducción/objetivo: Las prácticas de recursos humanos (RRHH) han sido ampliamente estudiadas en la literatura. Sin embargo, existen importantes carencias de investigación al respecto. Por ejemplo, se ha prestado poca atención a la relación entre las prácticas de RRHH y el bienestar, al mecanismo que explica el efecto de los RRHH en los empleados, y se ha pasado por alto el papel del género en las prácticas de RRHH. Por tanto, este estudio se dirige a examinar la relación entre las prácticas de RRHH y el bienestar (eudemónico y hedónico) por medio de la justicia organizacional, teniendo en cuenta el género. Método: Se utilizó un muestreo por conveniencia en un diseño correlacional. La muestra se compuso de 1647 trabajadores de 42 organizaciones españolas. Los instrumentos utilizados midieron prácticas de RRHH, justicia organizacional, y bienestar hedónico y eudemonico. Se realizaron modelos de ecuaciones estructurales multigrupo. Resultados: Los resultados confirmaron nuestras hipótesis, que afirmaban principalmente que (1) la justicia organizacional (justicia distributiva, de procedimiento e interactiva) mediaba la relación entre las prácticas de RRHH y el bienestar eudemónico y hedónico; (2) hay diferencias entre hombres y mujeres en esta mediación. Conclusiones: Las prácticas de RRHH y la justicia organizacional ofrecen herramientas a los directores de RRHH sobre cómo actuar para mantener y mejorar los niveles de bienestar de los empleados dentro de sus organizaciones.