Project Overview
Pain is a major public health problem in the Global South, particularly among marginalized communities, such as Somali pastoralists. Yet, the topic of chronic pain has not yet been comprehensively studied in Sub-Saharan Africa, specifically in the Somali region of Ethiopia, formally known as Somali Regional State (SRS). Therefore, this study aims to explore the perceptions and notions of chronic pain among Somali pastoralists in this context.
Data and Data Collection Overview
This study used an explorative qualitative design and was conducted between July 2020 and January 2021. We performed semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with 20 purposively selected female and male Somali pastoralists with chronic pain.
The study took place in primary, secondary and tertiary care facilities in the SRS, as well as in pastoralist communities. We selected the study sites based on considerations of regional diversity and rural/urban differences. In doing so, we intended to gain insights into heterogeneous perceptions of chronic pain. In addition, we were interested in differences in pain severity across study sites, organizational features and care. For instance, we anticipated that we might speak to patients with more severe pain conditions in the hospital setting. We selected semi-structured interviews for data collection to explore sociocultural aspects of pain perception, in addition to corresponding experiential and existential domains.
The interview language was Somali. Interviews lasted from 20 to 36 minutes. Three members of the research team (listed as co-authors on this data deposit) conducted the interviews, including Eleonore Baum (data collector), Sied Abdi (data collector & translator) and Roda Arab Abdilahi (data collector & translator), who are fluent in Somali and familiar with the Somali pastoralist culture. For cultural reasons and due to experiences during preliminary work, female researchers conducted the interviews with female pastoralists.
Interviews in the health centers took place in a quiet location outside the building. In secondary and tertiary care hospitals, interviews took place at the patient’s bedside. Within pastoralist communities, we interviewed the participants in front of their residences. After each interview, the research team discussed first impressions and noted them in a research diary. We audio-recorded the interviews, transcribed them word for word and removed identifying elements. A member of the research team fluent in both English and Somali translated the transcripts into English.
Data Analysis
To systematically analyze the data on a case by code basis, we applied the Framework Method according to Gale et al. (2013). This matrix-based analytic method facilitates rigorous and transparent data management. It allowed us to perform all stages of the analysis in a systematic manner. The Framework Method permitted us to move back and forth between different levels of abstraction without losing sight of the original data. Three researchers experienced in qualitative research were involved in the data analysis. We used MAXQDA 2022 software for data analysis support.
Substantively, we explained patterns drawing on the enactive approach to pain proposed by Stilwell and Harman (2019).
Shared Data Organization
Data files include twenty de-identified excerpted interviews made shareable for secondary research only under controlled access. This abstracted presentation of the data is the form approved for sharing by the participants.
Documentation files include the informed consent form and interview guide used in the study; an inventory of the participants; this data narrative and an administrative README file.
References
Gale, N. K., Heath, G., Cameron, E., Rashid, S., & Redwood, S. (2013) “Using the framework method for the analysis of qualitative data in multi-disciplinary health research.” BMC Medical Research Methodology (13): 117. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-13-117
Stilwell, P., Harman, K. (2019) “An enactive approach to pain: beyond the biopsychosocial model.” Phenomenology and Cognitive Science (18): 637–665. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-019-09624-7 |
