Abstract
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Chronic Pain-related Mental Health Care in a Cohort of U.S. Military Veterans
The journal of pain, Vol.23(5), pp.35-35
05/2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.03.134
Abstract
Chronic pain is a significant problem that impacts the physical and psychological health of many U.S. Veterans. Fortunately, evidenced-based psychological treatments are available through the VA for chronic pain management. However, prior research has broadly shown racial/ethnic minority disparities regarding chronic pain management. The aim of the current study was to examine differences in utilization of VA chronic pain-related mental health care for African American, Asian American, and Hispanic Veterans compared to Whites. Veterans with chronic pain receiving care at the VA in 2018 were included (N = 2,135,216). Mental health care included clinic and telephone visits. Multivariate log binominal regression models were conducted, controlling for age and sex. Interactions with rurality were also explored. A point estimate between groups was considered clinically significant if p < .05 and a difference >10% was observed. Included Veterans had a mean age of 60.5 years (SD = 15.1) and identified as mostly White non-Hispanic (68%), male (89%), and urban residing (81%). Asian Americans were significantly less likely than Whites to receive chronic pain-related mental health care (aRR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.81, 0.91). Both African Americans (aRR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.08) and Hispanics (aRR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.10) were more likely to receive mental health care than Whites, but this did not reach the level of clinical significance. A clinically significant interaction between rurality and race were observed, such that rural African Americans and Hispanic utilized mental health care more than Whites. These findings suggest that Asian American Veterans with chronic pain may be missing out on effective treatment services to manage their chronic pain. Possible reasons related to these disparities will be discussed. Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Rural Health (project number 16023). Visit www.ruralhealth.va.gov to learn more. The work reported here was also supported by the US Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Service through the Center for Access and Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) Center (CIN 13-412). The views expressed in this poster are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the US Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Chronic Pain-related Mental Health Care in a Cohort of U.S. Military Veterans
- Creators
- Jenna AdamowiczJasmine G. MaresBrian LundDiana BurgessShamira J. RothmillerKatherine Hadlandsmyth
- Resource Type
- Abstract
- Publication Details
- The journal of pain, Vol.23(5), pp.35-35
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.03.134
- ISSN
- 1526-5900
- eISSN
- 1528-8447
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 05/2022
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry; Epidemiology; Anesthesia
- Record Identifier
- 9984281658002771
Metrics
1 Record Views