Understanding pain experiences in individuals with developmental disabilities in Saudi Arabia: A qualitative interview study.
Pain in Saudi clients with DD is hidden by culture and provider discomfort, so BCBAs must use family-friendly tools and explicit permission to talk about hurt.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Almughyiri (2026) talked with families and individuals with developmental disabilities across Saudi Arabia.
The team asked open questions about how pain is felt, talked about, and handled in daily life.
They used long interviews so people could tell their full stories in their own words.
What they found
Five clear themes came out. Pain is read through cultural ideas of shame, fate, and family honor.
Doctors often miss pain because they lack tools made for non-verbal clients.
Families feel alone and unsure when pain signs are quiet or look like "problem behavior."
The study shows pain in Saudi DD clients is not just medical—it is social and spiritual too.
How this fits with other research
Cohrs et al. (2017) in the UK gave a fix: use the Paediatric Pain Profile plus parent report when clients cannot speak. Salman’s work says Saudi teams can borrow that tool, but must first teach families that reporting pain is allowed, not shameful.
Alnahdi (2025) found many Saudi doctors feel uneasy with patients who have ID. Salman’s interviews explain why: staff rarely hear about pain, so they assume it isn’t there. The two papers together flag the same gap—provider training needs to cover both attitude and skill.
Woodman et al. (2025) reviewed 15 years of Saudi data and saw heavy stigma toward autism and ADHD. Salman’s 2026 pain stories fit inside that window and show stigma also hides physical hurt. The review sets the big picture; the interview study gives the lived detail.
Why it matters
You now have Saudi-specific reasons why a client may not show or tell pain. Build trust with families first, then screen with a simple proxy tool like the PPP. Add picture cues that respect cultural words for hurt. When you see "new behavior," ask "could this be pain?" and teach families it is okay to say yes.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Research is limited on presenting optimal insights into the pain experiences of individuals with development disabilities (DD). Due to the group's insufficient communication skills, experts find it challenging to accurately assess pain. As a result, individuals with DDs often encounter the consequences of undiagnosed pain. A similar risk tends to increase in certain countries, particularly the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), considering the impact of distinct cultural and social characteristics that define pain experiences. This qualitative research, utilizing an exploratory research design and an interpretivist research philosophy, aims to critically examine pain experiences in individuals with DDs in Saudi Arabia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 healthcare professionals, family caregivers, physiotherapists, and special education teachers. Important themes identified in the current research include diverse pain interpretations, the implications of persistent behavioral changes, challenges in identifying different types of pain, pain management as an ongoing, context-specific process, and systemic and cultural factors that determine pain management in individuals with DDs in KSA. A relevant aspect emerging in the study is associated with comprehending the varied nuances of pain experiences of individuals with DDs.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2026 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2026.105242