Narrating Vulvodynia: A Qualitative Inquiry Into Experiences of Chronic Pain and the Relevance of Social Relationships

Abstract

Within the theoretical framework of social constructionism, this study presents a qualitative inquiry into the experiences of vulvodynia of 17 women of various ages in Italy. Vulvodynia is a case of “contested illness” due to the apparent absence of biomedical abnormalities, alongside a significant involvement of social and cultural components in defining the condition. Textual material was gathered through episodic interviews enquiring into participants’ experiences of diagnosis and chronic pain, which was then subjected to thematic analysis assisted by Atlas.ti software. The inquiry also explored the role played by healthcare assistance and psychological and relational support in harmoniously reconstructing personal experiences. The main results show that physical pain is not the central issue for women with vulvodynia, with participants identifying a lack of social recognition as the main issue for them. The experiences shared also showed the crucial nature of relationships with others in helping women cope with the condition and generating new experiential meanings.