Journal article
Comorbid Chronic Pain and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Veterans: Approaches to Care
Military medicine, Vol.190(9-10), pp.e2058-e2064
09/01/2025
DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usaf118
PMCID: PMC12596722
PMID: 40215123
Appears in UI Libraries Support Open Access
Abstract
The aim is to elucidate approaches to care for comorbid chronic pain and PTSD (CP + PTSD) in the Veterans Administration (VA). These conditions are co-magnifying and highly comorbid but traditionally treated in separate clinical settings.
This multimethod analysis examined care for CP + PTSD via administrative data analyses and qualitative interviews of VA-served veterans.
All participants with diagnoses of CP + PTSD in 2021 were identified using VA administrative data (N = 456,544). Visits during the following year (2022) coded for chronic pain, PTSD, or both were analyzed. Qualitative interview participants (N = 22) were recruited, screened, consented, and enrolled in 2023. Administrative findings demonstrated that clinical settings differed where CP and PTSD were treated. For PTSD, 90.7% of visits occurred in the mental health service line, whereas for CP, visits occurred across a range of settings outside mental health (e.g., primary care, rehabilitative services, and surgical services). A small percentage of visits (4.8%) were coded for both CP + PTSD, indicating possible combined care. In qualitative interviews, participants acknowledged that CP and PTSD symptoms may impact one another but noted that the health care they received for these 2 conditions was typically siloed. Participants also identified barriers that would need to be addressed before a fully integrated coordinated care model could be implemented.
Veterans reported interest in coordinated treatment for CP + PTSD; however, the provision of CP + PTSD care provided across different service lines may pose challenges to optimizing care coordination.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Comorbid Chronic Pain and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Veterans: Approaches to Care
- Creators
- Alessandra A Pratt - Iowa City VA Health Care SystemJennifer Van Tiem - University of IowaBrian C Lund - Iowa City VA Health Care SystemNicole L Johnson - Iowa City VA Health Care SystemKenda R S Steffensmeier - Iowa City VA Health Care SystemDaniel D Ball - Iowa City VA Health Care SystemEmily B K Thomas - University of IowaMichelle A Mengeling - University of IowaSonya B Norman - University of California - San Diego School of MedicineMary A Driscoll - Yale School of MedicineLauren Garvin - University of IowaKimberly J Hart - University of IowaKatherine Hadlandsmyth - Department of Anesthesia, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Military medicine, Vol.190(9-10), pp.e2058-e2064
- DOI
- 10.1093/milmed/usaf118
- PMID
- 40215123
- PMCID
- PMC12596722
- NLM abbreviation
- Mil Med
- ISSN
- 1930-613X
- eISSN
- 1930-613X
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Grant note
- 03857 / Office of Rural Health
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 04/11/2025
- Date published
- 09/01/2025
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry; Epidemiology; Psychological and Brain Sciences; Family and Community Medicine; Anesthesia; General Internal Medicine; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984808568202771
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