Abstract
This study aimed to (1) identify the prevalence and severity of pain and psychiatric comorbidities among personnel who had been deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and Operation New Dawn (OND) and (2) assess whether the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Polytrauma System of Care and an OIF/OEF/OND registry reflect real differences among patients. Participants (N = 359) were recruited from two VA hospitals. They completed a clinical interview, structured diagnostic interview, and self-report measures. Results indicated pain was the most common complaint, with 87% experiencing pain during the prior week and 56% reporting moderate or severe pain. Eighty percent of participants met criteria for at least one of seven assessed comorbid problems (moderate or severe pain, postconcussional disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], anxiety disorder, mood disorder, substance use disorder, psychosis), and 59 percent met criteria for two or more problems. PTSD and postconcussional disorder rarely occurred in the absence of pain or other comorbidities (0.3% and 0%, respectively). The Polytrauma group had more comorbid psychiatric conditions (χ2 = 48.67, p< 0.05) and reported greater severity of symptoms (p < 0.05) than the Registry group. This study confirmed the high prevalence of pain and concurrent mental health problems among personnel returning from military deployment.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 413-432 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2016 |
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Keywords
- Afghanistan
- Anxiety
- Blast injuries
- Chronic pain
- Combat disorders
- Comorbidities
- Depression
- Iraq
- Postconcussive disorder
- PTSD
- Sleep
- Substance use disorder
- TBI
- Veterans
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Rehabilitation
Cite this
Pain and psychiatric comorbidities among two groups of Iraq-and Afghanistan-era veterans. / Phillips, Kristin M.; Clark, Michael E.; Gironda, Ronald J.; McGarity, Suzanne; Kerns, Robert W.; Elnitsky, Christine A.; Andresen, Elena; Collins, Rose C.
In: Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, Vol. 53, No. 4, 2016, p. 413-432.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Pain and psychiatric comorbidities among two groups of Iraq-and Afghanistan-era veterans
AU - Phillips, Kristin M.
AU - Clark, Michael E.
AU - Gironda, Ronald J.
AU - McGarity, Suzanne
AU - Kerns, Robert W.
AU - Elnitsky, Christine A.
AU - Andresen, Elena
AU - Collins, Rose C.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - This study aimed to (1) identify the prevalence and severity of pain and psychiatric comorbidities among personnel who had been deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and Operation New Dawn (OND) and (2) assess whether the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Polytrauma System of Care and an OIF/OEF/OND registry reflect real differences among patients. Participants (N = 359) were recruited from two VA hospitals. They completed a clinical interview, structured diagnostic interview, and self-report measures. Results indicated pain was the most common complaint, with 87% experiencing pain during the prior week and 56% reporting moderate or severe pain. Eighty percent of participants met criteria for at least one of seven assessed comorbid problems (moderate or severe pain, postconcussional disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], anxiety disorder, mood disorder, substance use disorder, psychosis), and 59 percent met criteria for two or more problems. PTSD and postconcussional disorder rarely occurred in the absence of pain or other comorbidities (0.3% and 0%, respectively). The Polytrauma group had more comorbid psychiatric conditions (χ2 = 48.67, p< 0.05) and reported greater severity of symptoms (p < 0.05) than the Registry group. This study confirmed the high prevalence of pain and concurrent mental health problems among personnel returning from military deployment.
AB - This study aimed to (1) identify the prevalence and severity of pain and psychiatric comorbidities among personnel who had been deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and Operation New Dawn (OND) and (2) assess whether the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Polytrauma System of Care and an OIF/OEF/OND registry reflect real differences among patients. Participants (N = 359) were recruited from two VA hospitals. They completed a clinical interview, structured diagnostic interview, and self-report measures. Results indicated pain was the most common complaint, with 87% experiencing pain during the prior week and 56% reporting moderate or severe pain. Eighty percent of participants met criteria for at least one of seven assessed comorbid problems (moderate or severe pain, postconcussional disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], anxiety disorder, mood disorder, substance use disorder, psychosis), and 59 percent met criteria for two or more problems. PTSD and postconcussional disorder rarely occurred in the absence of pain or other comorbidities (0.3% and 0%, respectively). The Polytrauma group had more comorbid psychiatric conditions (χ2 = 48.67, p< 0.05) and reported greater severity of symptoms (p < 0.05) than the Registry group. This study confirmed the high prevalence of pain and concurrent mental health problems among personnel returning from military deployment.
KW - Afghanistan
KW - Anxiety
KW - Blast injuries
KW - Chronic pain
KW - Combat disorders
KW - Comorbidities
KW - Depression
KW - Iraq
KW - Postconcussive disorder
KW - PTSD
KW - Sleep
KW - Substance use disorder
KW - TBI
KW - Veterans
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84982986818&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84982986818&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1682/JRRD.2014.05.0126
DO - 10.1682/JRRD.2014.05.0126
M3 - Article
VL - 53
SP - 413
EP - 432
JO - Journal of rehabilitation R&D
JF - Journal of rehabilitation R&D
SN - 0007-506X
IS - 4
ER -