Subtheme	Study	Direct participant data	Author description of data
Impact of OA on people's sense of "self"	Hurley 2010	"…[inability to do gardening] makes me mad at times, cos I feel frustrated about it. I know there's masses of things that want to be done out there, I just haven't got the energy to do them…It makes you feel older." p.5 "…I'm very upset with myself cos, you know, when you're used to being mobile and able to do things for yourself, now you have to depend on people to do it, it's not very nice is it?…It's embarrassing. Like [at a dinner and dance] I sat down and had the dinner, and when I was to get up I couldn't move. I was so embarrassed and people looking at me." p.5.	Limitations in functioning and the need for help made people feel frustrated, angry, depressed, embarrassed, incapacitated and a burden to other people, and increased worries that the ultimate outcome would be severe disability, immobility and dependency. p.3.
	Morden 2011	"Today I am very tired and in quite a lot of pain, I went fishing with my grandson for the full day yesterday. Even though I enjoy the sport and have warm gear and wet gear, it still knocks me about. With having back pain and knee pain anyway, I can't stand for long. I was given a folding chair for Christmas, and very useful it turned out to be. With being able to adjust the chair to several positions and also the height I can usually find a position that suits me. One of the problems about not being able to walk very far is that if we want to go somewhere that we haven't been before we have to do lots of research into the place. We have to check to see if the terrain is reasonably flat, and if not, how far I will have to walk." p.194.	In James' account, his biography became disrupted due to a combination of back and knee pain. As a result, his physical capacity to work declined forcing him to retire early. His sense of self as male provider and head of the family was challenged. His account highlights the process of changing his role and renegotiating his sense of self as a family man. By taking on more of a carer role in the sense of looking after grandchildren and doing more work around the house, he was able to engage in what Gareth Williams calls 'narrative reconstruction.' As part of this process, James is constantly engaged in activities, strategies and treatments to enable him to carry on in a social role within the context of family life that was important to him. James' position as a 'good grandparent' sees him constantly negotiating ways to maintain physical and psychological well‐being. Spending time with his grandson both aided and threatened. For example, by taking regular shared fishing trips, he not only gained pleasure and psychological well‐being, but also incurred pain and suffering. Embedded in James' account are a number of strategies that he has to utilise to ensure continuity that he can continue valued activities: James, Diary 2 entry 18th January 2009. Here, we can see how James negotiates the negative part of 'being a good grandparent' (pain) to maintain a valued identity. This requires the application of aids (chair) and planning (research into place) p.193. A broader perspective of self‐management is witnessed in the accounts. Examining how people maintain acceptable social roles, remain competent moral actors and preserve a sense of self is central to understanding self‐managing in chronic illness. Taking such an approach acknowledges the essential part that making adaptations in daily life plays, so that people are able to continue valued activities, fulfil obligations and roles. p.194.
	Petursdottir 2010	"I was extremely unhappy with myself…I couldn't work as hard as before, and I just could not understand why. It was one of the hardest things, to accept myself as what I had become." "Well, you have to face the fact that you are not young anymore, and you just have to slow down." p.1019. "I worked out new ways to cope, to keep my arthritis from getting in the way too much." "I think that general positivism is part of your health; if you think constantly about pain and aches, then you get really sick." p.1018.	Many of the participants described how they had to fit their OA into their self‐image and adapt their lives to it. Some of the younger participants seemed frustrated. The older participants expressed greater acceptance. The personality traits of adaptability and initiative had a strong influence on the exercise behaviour of the participants. They described the importance of not letting the OA control their lives, although its existence should be recognised and respected. Many participants talked about the importance of mental health and the importance of being positive, cheerful and not lingering on negative circumstances.
	Stone 2015	It definitely wears on you, on your mind because it stops you from doing what you want to do. Even if my body wanted to [exercise], my mind won't let me…I feel helpless and worthless." p.5.	Participants expressed depressing thoughts, referring to OA as "mentally agonising." Many participants felt betrayed by their bodies and felt helpless regarding their functional limitations. 1 participant specifically mentioned, "Mentally, it's so depressing. I can't tell you how I just want to sit down and cry sometimes because I can't move." p.13. Other participants echoed this "helplessness," noting the effects of OA‐related psychological distress on their functionality. p.10.