Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Oct 7:10.1037/ser0000909.
doi: 10.1037/ser0000909. Online ahead of print.

Targeting chronic pain care to rural women veterans: A feasibility pilot

Lauren Garvin  1 , Mary A Driscoll  2 , Kenda Stewart Steffensmeier  1 , Nicole L Johnson  1 , Jenna L Adamowicz  3 , Ashlie A Obrecht  1 , Kimberly J Hart  4 , Shamira J Rothmiller  1 , Zita Sibenaller  5 , Lori Stout  5 , Chris Richards  1 , Mark Vander Weg  1 , Brian C Lund  1 , Katherine Hadlandsmyth  1
Affiliations

Targeting chronic pain care to rural women veterans: A feasibility pilot

Lauren Garvin et al. Psychol Serv. .

Abstract

For rural women veterans, significant barriers exist in accessing high-quality, multicomponent behavioral pain self-management interventions. As such, a telehealth behavioral pain self-management intervention designed specifically for rural-dwelling women veterans with chronic pain was piloted for this study. This mixed methods, single-arm preliminary study examined the feasibility and acceptability of this intervention and completed a responder analysis. Participants completed surveys before and 1-month following the intervention, and they completed a qualitative interview following the intervention. About one quarter (24%) of potentially eligible participants who were sent a letter about the study consented to participate (N = 44). All participants identified as female and were rural dwelling, with mean age of 56 years (range = 34-80), and the majority of the sample (81%) self-identified as White and non-Hispanic or Latino. Average baseline scores on the Pain, Enjoyment of Life, and General Activity three-item scale (PEG-3) measure indicated severe pain and functional interference (MPEG-3 total = 6.88, SD = 1.62). Of the 44 participants who consented, 70% completed the intervention. About half of treatment completers (47%, 14/30) were deemed responders, reporting ≥ 30% reduction on their PEG-3 total scores. On the Global Impression of Change scale, 87% reported improvement. Study completers indicated that the telehealth platform facilitated their engagement and that they perceived the intervention to be beneficial and credible. Qualitative data emphasized themes of connection with other women veterans who experienced chronic pain while perceiving a retained sense of individual identity. These preliminary data support feasibly of this intervention for rural-dwelling women veterans with chronic pain. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interest/Disclosures: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Barrett D, Brintz CE, Zaski AM, & Edlund MJ (2021). Dialectical Pain Management: Feasibility of a hybrid Third-Wave Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach for adults receiving opioids for chronic pain. Pain Medicine, 22(5), 1080–1094. 10.1093/pm/pnaa361 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Becker WC, DeBar LL, Heapy AA, Higgins D, Krein SL, Lisi A, Makris UE, & Allen KD (2018). A research agenda for advancing non-pharmacological management of chronic musculoskeletal pain: Findings from a VHA state-of-the-art conference. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 33(Suppl 1), 11–15. 10.1007/s11606-018-4345-6 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cameron N, Kool M, Estevez-Lopez F, Lopez-Chicheri I, & Geenen R (2018). The potential buffering role of self-efficacy and pain acceptance against invalidation in rheumatic diseases. Rheumatology International, 38(2), 283–291. 10.1007/s00296-017-3859-2 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Che X, Cash R, Ng SK, Fitzgerald P, & Fitzgibbon BM (2018). A systematic review of the processes underlying the main and the buffering effect of social support on the experience of pain. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 34(11), 1061–1076. 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000624 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Devilly GJ, & Borkovec TD (2000). Psychometric properties of the credibility/expectancy questionnaire. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 31(2), 73–86. 10.1016/s0005-7916(00)00012-4 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources