Participation in everyday life for young people with chronic pain in Saudi Arabia: "you feel lacking in life and you feel that time is flying by".

Introduction: Chronic pain is a common health problem that can have a significant impact on children and young people's daily life. Although research on pediatric chronic pain has been a priority globally, little is known about young people's experience of chronic pain in Saudi Arabia. Thus, this article reports on young people's experience of chronic pain and the impact on their lives in Saudi Arabia which forms part of a larger study. Methods: Multiple case study design following Yin's (2018) approach was used. Purposeful and theoretical sampling were used to recruit young people aged 12 to 18 who had experienced chronic pain for at least three months, their parents, and their school personnel. The young people and their parents were recruited from a tertiary hospital located on the western side of Saudi Arabia while school personnel were recruited from the schools that young people attended. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured face-to-face (n = 15) and telephone interviews (n = 25) from 40 participants (10 young people, 10 parents, and 20 school personnel). Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated from Arabic to English. Data were analyzed following two phases: (1) constant comparative analysis; and (2) cross-case analysis based on the work of Charmaz (2014) and Yin (2018) respectively. Findings: Young people's experiences of chronic pain were categorized into three themes: (1) experiencing chronic pain; (2) impact of pain on quality of life; and (3) everyday strategies to manage chronic pain. All young people reported that their pain was caused by a chronic condition, where the most prevalent pains were musculoskeletal/joint pain, abdominal pain, and headache/migraine. Most young people had encountered challenges with misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis as to the cause of their chronic pain. They described how their chronic pain interfered with their physical, psychological, and social functioning. They primarily managed their pain with medications and through self-care techniques. The findings also indicated that young people's generally positive attitude to their pain reflected their beliefs in Allah's power and the belief that such suffering should be borne according to their Islamic culture. Conclusion: Chronic pain is a significant health phenomenon that tends to restrict the participation of young people in everyday life. However young people used a range of strategies to normalize the pain so that they could continue with their everyday activities like their peers.

Sources of Stress among Saudi Arabian Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Nursing students experience higher levels of stress than those in other health-related disciplines; however, there are limited data exploring stress among these students in a Saudi context. AIM: This study examines sources of stress among nursing students at an academic institution in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, using a descriptive quantitative cross-sectional research design. METHODS: Data were collected from a convenience sample of 500 undergraduate nursing students, with a response rate of 71.8%, using an adapted Stress in Nursing Students (SINS) questionnaire. RESULTS: Nursing student sources of stress fell into three categories: academic concerns, clinical practice, and social factors. DISCUSSION: The results demonstrate commonality between other countries' sources of stress for nursing students but highlight cultural factors unique to Saudi Arabia. This study shows opportunities for cross-cultural learning and areas needing cultural tailoring to reduce stress among nursing students.

A systematic review of the impact of chronic pain on adolescents' school functioning and school personnel responses to managing pain in the schools.

AIMS: To critically synthesize empirical studies on the impact of chronic pain on adolescents' school functioning and school personnel responses to managing pain in schools. DESIGN: Mixed method systematic review. DATA SOURCES: Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, ScienLO, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE were searched for published articles from inception to December 2018. REVIEW METHODS: Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Data from the qualitative and quantitative studies were synthesized using parallel-results convergent integrated design. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme and Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool version 2018 were used for assessing the quality of included studies. RESULTS: Chronic pain appears to have a significant negative influence on adolescents' school attendance, academic performance/achievement, academic competence, physical activities, and social functioning. However, other studies indicated that adolescents with chronic pain had better academic performance and competence than healthy peers and that chronic pain did not affect older adolescents' social functioning. There is limited guidelines and resources for how school personnel can help adolescents to manage pain in schools. CONCLUSION: This review supports the need for future research on the impact of adolescents' chronic pain on the full dimensions of school functioning and to identify the effective responses of school personnel to managing adolescents' pain in schools. IMPACT: Although findings are somewhat conflicting, overall adolescent's chronic pain appears to have a negative influence on school functioning. Yet limited guidelines exist for how school personnel should respond effectively to manage adolescents' pain in schools. The review indicates the importance of written policies to guide teachers on how to facilitate optimal pain management in schools. It also highlights the significance of clear communication between healthcare professionals and school personnel, adolescents with chronic pain and their parents to support optimal school functioning.