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Interpretative phenomenological analysis as a useful methodology for research on the lived experience of pain
Open accessAbstract
Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a qualitative approach which aims to provide detailed examinations of personal lived experience. It produces an account of lived experience in its own terms rather than one prescribed by pre-existing theoretical preconceptions and it recognises that this is an interpretative endeavour as humans are sense-making organisms. It is explicitly idiographic in its commitment to examining the detailed experience of each case in turn, prior to the move to more general claims. IPA is a particularly useful methodology for examining topics which are complex, ambiguous and emotionally laden. Pain is a prime exemplar of such a phenomenon: elusive, involving complex psycho-somatic interactions and difficult to articulate. In addition to the 1998 article, published in this Special Issue, two further papers are suggested that the interested reader might wish to look out for.
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Cited by
Musculoskeletal pain and exercise—Challenging existing paradigms and introducing new
Smith, B. E., Hendrick, P., Bateman, M., Holden, S., Littlewood, C., Smith, T. O., & Logan, P. (2019) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098983 · Cited by 166
Burnout symptoms and recovery processes in eight elite soccer coaches over 10 years
Hassmén, P., Kenttä, G., Hjälm, S., Lundkvist, E., & Gustafsson, H. (2019) · International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching · doi:10.1177/1747954119851246 · Cited by 34
Hulgaard, D. R., Rask, C. U., Risor, M. B., & Dehlholm, G. (2020) · Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/1359104519846194 · Cited by 32
Kothari, A., Bruxner, G., Callaway, L., & Dulhunty, J. M. (2022) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-022-04738-4 · Cited by 27
Chua, N., Serpell, L., Burnett‐Stuart, S., & Pugh, M. (2022) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2652 · Cited by 21
Kanstrup, M., Jordan, A., & Kemani, M. K. (2019) · Children · doi:10.3390/children6090101 · Cited by 19
“IPA adopts a phenomenological perspective, is suited to novel areas [44] and for studying pain-related phenomena [43], and typically incorporates a small sample size to reflect this focus on the detailed exploration of participants’ lived experience [45].”
BackgroundDoyle, M., Tapson, K., Karagiannopoulos, V., & Lee, P. (2023) · The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles · doi:10.1177/0032258x211043331 · Cited by 18
Chian, J., Holliman, A., Pinto, C., & Waldeck, D. (2024) · Educational and Child Psychology · doi:10.53841/bpsecp.2024.41.1.55 · Cited by 10
Migrant mothers’ experiences of Caesarean section: a transcultural qualitative study
Rodriguez, J., Moro, M. R., & Radjack, R. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1152810 · Cited by 8
Chronic disease management and dementia: a qualitative study of knowledge and needs of staff
Baird, C., Woolford, M. H., Young, C., Winbolt, M., & Ibrahim, J. (2019) · Australian Journal of Primary Health · doi:10.1071/py18197 · Cited by 6
Spikol, E., McGlinchey, E., & Armour, C. (2026) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs16061007 · Cited by 1
“…as the most appropriate methodology given that it is a well-established qualitative research approach, which focuses on the examination of how people make sense of significant life experiences, thus allowing for an in-depth exploration of the experience and impacts of IPV (Smith & Osborn, 2015).”
Influential
Metadata
- Authors
- Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M.
- Venue
- British Journal of Pain
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2014-07-28
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 41-42
- ISSN
- 2049-4637 (ISSN-L)
- 2049-4645
- OpenAlex
- W2170503011
- Cited by
- 1,089
- References
- 0
- FWCI
- 8.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
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