Table 5 Participant responses for placement of the Pain disk

Threat appraisal

Identity

[SPS 0.2 cm] “The pain affects every part of my being. I am suffering with the thing … the thing it is like it is eating me all. It consumes all of me. There is no escape” (Assyrian)

[SPS 3.6] “The pain has changed me. I am not the man [I was]. I am weak and torn apart. I can’t even look in the mirror sometimes to see what it has made of me” (Arabic)

Captive

[SPS 3.2 cm] “It is like you are trapped. The pain is on all sides and I can’t escape from it. Nothing I can do can free me from this pain. It is my prison” (Arabic)

Fear

[SPS 5.3] “It is too much. I try not to tell other people about my pain, because I feel bad every time I talk about it. Almost about to cry, the pain makes me afraid for my life” (Vietnamese)

Transitioning

[SPS 11.7] "The truth is I must accept and learn to live with this pain. I mean this part of me hurts, this is not foreign to me. Also, say both my legs hurt. I do have this pain but I have to move [pause]. I have to try and move it because in the end, these are mine and mine for good (Assyrian)

[SPS 7.9] “The pain is unnatural. It is not just physical, but emotional. It feels heavy on my whole person. It diminishes the happiness. I am tired with the thing” (Arabic)

[SPS 8.1] “I have pain in my back and in my legs. The doctors say I will not escape this pain and I must learn to live with it. I am trying but 50/50” (Vietnamese)

Acceptance and Resilience

[SPS 13 cm] “The pain is there … I know it is there, but I am trying not to let it change me, or my life. I do what I can” (Assyrian)

[SPS 13.6] “The pain is in the middle. I think other things come first. It is in the centre” (Arabic)

[SPS 23 cm] “You have to help yourself. This does not mean I do not feel pain, but I do everything to give me power to control the pain and I make choices how I will live” (Vietnamese)

Expectations/ Controllability

[SPS 1.0] “The pain is constant. It takes your breath away, I have no idea why I suffer with it, I have trouble with how to move many times” (Assyrian)

[SPS 0.9] “The pain makes me powerless and unable to do anything. I ‘ve got joint pain and the pain is unbearable” (Arabic)

[SPS 1.2 cm] “Pain comes before everything. It only gets worse and comes to take more and more of me. I don’t know how to stop it. One day it may take all of me” (Vietnamese)

[SPS 10.5] “It is there but I try not to think on it too much. I think I need to help myself in this way [pause]. To not let it control or take over” (Assyrian)

[SPS 8.8] “It feels like the pain is closing in on me. I try to push it away. I use too many tablets to help the pain. This is not always enough. I know I need to learn to control it” (Arabic)

[SPS 7.2] “The pain is there. I don’t know why, but I notice if I use hot oil or exercises it gets better, so I can stop it sometimes from taking me too much” (Vietnamese)

[SPS 14.5] “I do have pain [pause]. But I have lived with this for a long time now. What can you expect when you get old and the bones are weak and the pain can come. But I expect this. I know this, like a friend [laugh]”. (Vietnamese)

[SPS 22.8] “I know I will never be without pain. How can I expect this? As the body is older it is natural, so I think I do not worry for this and try to live my life my way” (Vietnamese)

Intrusiveness

[SPS 3.8 cm] “The pain is part of me. It touches each part of my life, my family, my work, my prayer [pause] even I can’t do this fully with the pain I have. I suffer with this in all my life” (Arabic)

[SPS 1.4 cm] “I think because I have the pain very much [pause]. Pain interferes with my life and creates difficulty in my life” (Vietnamese)

[SPS 10.3] “The pain does affect me [pause]. The heavy jobs have affected my muscles and my nerves and as I am getting older my mind too [pause]. Even now I feel it stronger each day, but I try to look after myself, be careful and not make my situation worse” (Assyrian)

[SPS 6.5 cm] “My injury has affected my life. It does not let me live like before. I have to be careful with everything to control the pain I feel” (Vietnamese)

[SPS 14.3] “The pain is above me. It goes up and down. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, but I have to push it away and not let it affect my mind too much” (Assyrian)