Chronic Pain and Family (eBook)

Ranjan Roy is Professor of Social Work and Clinical Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. He is also a Consultant (Scientific) in the Department of Anethesia, St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg. He has authored and edited 11 books and published more than 80 scientific papers and chapters. He has been an invited lecturer on the psychological and social aspects of chronic pain. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Science and Humanities.

Contents 7
Preface 8
Acknowledgments 10
The Changing Nature of Families in the West 11
A Case of a Blended, Extended Family 11
To Be a Single Mom 12
Literature Review 13
Therapeutic Approaches and Changing Family Patterns 20
Ethnicity and Chronic Pain and the Family 21
Conclusion 24
The Impact of Chronic Pain on Marriage and Family 26
A Case of Chronic Headache 27
Literature Review 29
Further Thoughts on Mrs. Christy and Her Family 34
Conclusion 37
The Health of the Partners (Spouses) and the Children 39
Partners of Chronic Pain Patients 42
Case Illustrations 44
Parental Chronic Pain and Its Impact on the Children 46
Case Illustration 49
Conclusion 51
Chronic Pain and Sexual Relations 52
Diabetes and Sexual Dysfunction 53
Chronic Pain and Sex 56
Depression and Sex 57
Spousal Distress and Sex 58
Premorbid Sexual Problems 60
Pain as a Solution for Sexual Problems 60
Conclusion 61
The Meaning and Function of Pain in Marriage: The Interactional Perspective 63
Mother’s Boy 63
The Professor’s Wife 65
The Loner 66
Pain Behaviors and Marital Relations 66
Who Perpetuates the Pain Behavior(s)? 68
Why Are the Pain Behaviors Perpetuated? 68
“We Want What’s Best for Each Other” 69
“He Is Not Well Enough to Do Much” 70
“It Is Just Not Good for You” 71
“I Don’t Think that Your Pain Is that Bad” 71
Conclusion 72
What Happens to Communication? 75
Case Illustrations 78
Conclusion 83
Who Does What? An Exploration of Family Roles 85
Case Illustration: Mr. Chapman 88
A Very Different Story 92
Trials and Tribulations of Newlyweds 94
Mr. Friesen: A Case of Doing One’s Best 96
Conclusion 97
What Happens to the Children? 98
Parental Chronic Pain and Illness and Its Effect on Children 98
Affected Children 100
Unaffected Children 106
Conclusion 109
Partner Abuse and Chronic Pain 110
Literature Review 110
Clinical Issues 113
Case Illustrations 114
Two Cases of Emotional Abuse 119
Conclusion 122
Issues in Couple Therapy 124
The Systems Approach 124
A Behavioral Approach 134
Family Therapy 137
Blended Family 138
Family Therapy 141
Discussion 142
Family Therapy Outcome 142
Evidence-Based Therapy 144
Some Further Thoughts 146
Family Therapy Journals 147
Pain Journals 147
Medical Journals 147
Discussion 148
Conclusion 149
References 150
Index 160