Smith, Olivia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6687-151X, Abbas, Asim ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8760-8415, Mierzwinski, Mark ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9751-5865, Bertram, Andrew, Chitsabesan, Praminthra ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4614-9866 and Chintapatla, Srinivas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8326-2847 (2026) Novel insights into abdominal wall hernia (AWH) and its negative impact on patients’ finances: “Doing my job was pretty impossible”. Hernia, 30 (1).

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Abstract

Unemployment is strongly correlated with ill health [1]. Health reasons are one reason people can become unemployed [2,3,4]. Indeed, people with pathology are more likely to be unemployed [5] or absent from work for prolonged periods [6]. Furthermore, job loss, or the feeling of not being able to perform one’s job, is associated with financial disruption, loss of assets, social withdrawal [7], and family disturbance. Such disturbance can often contribute to declines in psychological [8] and physical well-being [9, 10], which not only diminish life satisfaction but can serve to prolong unemployment, perpetuating a vicious cycle. The importance of contextual factors, such as societal norms regarding work and gender expectations, which influence the severity of unemployment’s impact on psychological outcomes has also been shown [11].

Complex abdominal wall hernia (CAWH) is increasingly recognised as a condition with wide-ranging consequences extending beyond physical symptoms. While research has explored pain [12], body image [13], sexual dysfunction [14], functional restriction and mental health [15] in this population, the socioeconomic dimensions remain largely underexamined. Despite evidenced links between health and unemployment, there is a paucity of literature examining the effect of CAWH on employment. No qualitative study to date has explored in depth how CAWH shapes patients’ employment trajectories, financial security, occupational identity, and perceived role within the family unit. Understanding the experiences of CAWH patients is particularly relevant with respect to Quality of Life, as their significant physical limitations and surgical recovery can disrupt employment, potentially creating cycles of financial and psychological strain. Therefore, this study is the first to qualitatively examine CAWH patients’ experience of employment and financial disturbance. This study seeks to address this gap by using a phenomenological methodology to examine how individuals living with CAWH understand and experience the financial and employment-related consequences of their condition. By foregrounding patients’ narratives, this work aims to illuminate neglected aspects of disease burden and inform more holistic preoperative counselling, postoperative support, and broader models of care.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	Published
DOI:	10.1007/s10029-026-03596-9
School/Department:	School of Science, Technology and Health
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/13918

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