Campus Units
Psychology
Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
2016
Journal or Book Title
Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development
Volume
53
First Page
59
Last Page
70
DOI
10.1682/JRRD.2014.10.0255
Abstract
Many Veterans returning from service in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) experience chronic pain. What is not known is whether for some OIF/OEF Veterans this pain is part of a larger condition of diffuse multisystem symptoms consistent with chronic multisymptom illness (CMI). We use data from a prospective longitudinal study of OIF/OEF Veterans to determine the frequency of CMI. We found that 1 yr after deployment, 49.5% of OIF/OEF Veterans met criteria for mild to moderate CMI and 10.8% met criteria for severe CMI. Over 90% of Veterans with chronic pain met criteria for CMI. CMI was not completely accounted for either by posttraumatic stress disorder or by predeployment levels of physical symptoms. Veterans with symptoms consistent with CMI reported significantly worse physical health function than Veterans who did not report symptoms consistent with CMI. This study suggests that the presence of CMI should be considered in the evaluation of OIF/OEF Veterans. Further, it suggests that the pain management for these Veterans may need to be tailored to take CMI into consideration.
Rights
Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
McAndrew, Lisa M.; Helmer, Drew A.; Phillips, L. Alison; Chandler, Helena K.; Ray, Kathleen; and Quigley, Karen S., "Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans report symptoms consistent with chronic multisymptom illness one year after deployment" (2016). Psychology Publications. 38.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/psychology_pubs/38
Included in
Counseling Psychology Commons, Health Psychology Commons, Industrial and Organizational Psychology Commons, Military and Veterans Studies Commons
Comments
This is an article from Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development 53 (2016): 59, doi:10.1682/JRRD.2014.10.0255.