Pain, Mental Health, and Health Care Utilization of Military Veterans Compared to Civilians in a Chronic Pain
Clinic
Abstract: More than 40% of Canadian Veterans live with chronic pain. Chronic pain is often combined with mental health issues as well as the challenges of isolation and deconditioning. This study examined if there were differences in characteristics and type of care received between Veterans and civilians (people with no military service background) seeking care at a chronic pain clinic. The two groups of individuals with chronic pain were quite similar in pain outcomes, physical function, and mental health. Veterans visited chiropractors, massage therapists, physiotherapists, and psychologists more often than civilians. Although Veterans received this extra care and support, they were almost three times more likely to have thoughts of suicide. It was concluded that Veterans with chronic pain would greatly benefit in participating in an interdisciplinary pain care program tailored to Veteran-specific needs.
Abstract: U.S. Air Force remotely piloted aircraft (USAF RPA) personnel face diverse stressors negatively affecting psychological health and military readiness. Prior research in diverse populations supports predictable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on occupational stressors, burnout, and more distal outcomes. Extending earlier studies linking broad variables (e.g., COVID-19 threat → work stress → burnout), the current study tests and refines an expanded mediation model based on multiple distinct pandemic concerns, occupational stressors, and burnout facets as antecedents of psychological distress mid-pandemic in RPA personnel (N = 496). Differential representation of demands, resources, and rewards evident across distinct occupational stressors in light of job demands/resources theory guided specification of mediated pathways. SEM analysis yielded moderate fit. Following removal of non-significant paths and addition of two interpretable direct paths, fit was improved, yielding seven dominant pandemic concern → occupational stressor → burnout → psychological distress pathways. In support of domain specification, five 'hub' variables (pandemic-driven change, personal stressors, workload, leader communication, and exhaustion) emerged as key intervention targets in mitigating distress in the USAF RPA community and similar populations during future pandemic-related crises.