Published In
Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2016
Subjects
Chronic pain, Mental depression, Distress (Psychology), Psychological tests, Wounds and injuries, Blast injuries, Post-concussion syndrome, Post-traumatic stress disorder
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. Key words: Afghanistan, anxiety, blast injuries, chronic pain, combat disorders, comorbidities, depression, Iraq, postconcussive disorder, PTSD, sleep, substance use disorder, TBI, Veterans.
DOI
10.1682/JRRD.2014.05.0126
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/18498
Citation Details
Phillips, K. M., Clark, M. E., Gironda, R. J., Mcgarity, S., Kerns, R. W., Elnitsky, C. A., Andresen, E., Collins, R. C. (2016). Pain and psychiatric comorbidities among two groups of Iraq- and Afghanistan-era Veterans, 53(4), 413–432.
Description
To the best of our knowledge, this work was authored as part of the Contributor's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.