Pain and Posttraumatic Stress: Associations Among Women Veterans With a History of Military Sexual Trauma

Objective: Chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are two highly prevaxlent and comorbid conditions common within veteran populations. Notably, those with comorbid pain and PTSD tend to have more severe presentations and poorer quality of life than those with either disorder alone. Despite this well-established relationship, limited research has examined the association between pain and PTSD symptom severity among women veterans with a history of military sexual trauma (MST). Method: The current study included 107 women veterans presenting for psychological services to an MST specialty clinic at a large southeastern Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in the United States. Results: Findings indicated a significant relationship between pain and overall PTSD symptom severity, as well as the intrusions and arousal and reactivity symptom clusters. Contrary to prediction, there was not a significant relationship between pain interference and PTSD symptom or cluster severity. Conclusion: Results highlight the importance of inquiring about pain when working with women veterans with a history of MST. Future research aimed at disentangling the casual relationship between pain and PTSD symptoms is crucial to enhance our understanding of these constructs. Clinical Impact Statement Findings from the current study suggest that pain severity is associated with PTSD symptom severity as well as PTSD intrusions and arousal/reactivity symptoms among women veterans with a history of MST. Therefore, it is critical for providers treating women veterans for pain, PTSD, and/or sexual assault to inquire about these conditions given their potentially reciprocal and compounding relationship. Given the increased rates of women veterans, in combination with the prevalence of MST among women veterans, it is important to inquire about and treat specific mental (e.g., PTSD) and physical (e.g., pain) health difficulties within this population.