Most pain research asks why people suffer. Emily Bartley asks the inverted question: why do some people do well?
That is the study of pain resilience, and it is not the same as optimism or toughness. It is a measurable set of capacities — how a person recovers after a flare, how they keep functioning, what psychological and social resources they draw on — that varies enormously between people with the same diagnosis and the same pain intensity.
It also cuts across diagnoses, which is why it belongs in a week about countless diagnoses. Resilience is not specific to one condition. It is one of the few things that can be studied in the same terms whether the pain comes from a joint, a nerve, or an organ.
A 2026 paper in Pain Management Nursing with her colleagues tested where resilience sits in the causal chain, examining pain resilience and catastrophizing as mediators of pain intensity and outcomes. A companion 2026 paper argues for a socioecological understanding of resilience — locating it not only inside the person but in their relationships, community, and circumstances.
That distinction matters practically. If resilience were purely a personality trait, there would be little to do about it. If it is partly socioecological, it can be supported.
Bartley also works on chronic pelvic pain, including a 2026 study in The Journal of Pain on the double burden carried by women with chronic pelvic pain, who face both the pain itself and gender-related stigma about it — a condition routinely dismissed for decades before it is diagnosed.
She is Director of Communication and Outreach for PRICE, and appeared on the PRICE of Pain podcast in Episode 9, discussing pain resilience and advocacy.
We asked her what she would say to someone who is struggling now and hears ‘resilience’ as blame.
Resilience isn’t about being tougher, pushing through, or blaming yourself for having pain. It’s about drawing on your strengths and resources to adapt, staying engaged in valued activities, and living a meaningful life even when pain is present.
Emily J. Bartley, PhD
What we study:
- Pain and Aging
- Chronic Pain Risk Factors
- Pain and the Brain
- Musculoskeletal Pain
- Pain and Exercise
- Non-Medical Treatment of Pain
Prefer to talk to a person? Call 352-273-5967 or email PRICE-CTSI@ufl.edu.
UF Study ID IRB201400126
References
- Makhoul-Bsaibes M, Doumit MAA, Bartley EJ. Toward a Socioecological Understanding of Resilience in the Context of Chronic Pain. Pain Manag Nurs. 2026 Jun 6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2026.05.003
- Makhoul M, Huijer HA, French DJ, France CR, Bartley EJ. Pain Resilience and Catastrophizing as Mediators of Pain Intensity and Outcomes. Pain Manag Nurs. 2026 May 20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2026.04.011
- Wilson JM, Kazemipour S, Dharmendran D, et al., Bartley EJ, Meints SM. Carrying a double burden: The impact of pain and gender-related stigma in women with chronic pelvic pain. J Pain. 2026 May;42:106251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2026.106251
- PRICE of Pain podcast archive, 22 episodes (2021-2022). https://price.ctsi.ufl.edu/price-of-pain-podcast/