Telephone Cognitive Behavior Therapy for OEF Veterans With Pain

We conducted a randomized clinical trial comparing telephone-delivered cognitive behavior therapy and pain education control. We enrolled 41 OEF/OIF/OND veterans with chronic pain and randomizing them into one of two treatment conditions. The study sample was recruited from primary care clinics at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and affiliated VA community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) in downtown San Francisco, Clearlake, Eureka, San Bruno, Santa Rosa, and Ukiah. Recruitment targeted OEF/OIF/OND veterans with pain disorders that involved muscle strain and inflammation, trauma to nerves, and/or central nervous system dysfunction. Both interventions were delivered by telephone and consisted of 12 sessions scheduled over a 20-week period. Pain management outcomes were measured at 10 weeks (mid-treatment), 20 weeks (post-treatment), 32 weeks (3-month follow-up), and 46 weeks (6-month follow-up). The sample size was chosen to provide greater than 80% power at a two-tailed alpha of 0.05. The study hypothesis, assessment methodology, and intervention procedures were based on the cognitive-behavioral model of chronic pain.