Military women and their families are more likely to suffer from chronic pain, research shows

A new study led by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital finds that military women and female family members are at significantly higher risk for chronic pain

Active duty women who served during periods of more intense combat deployment (2006-2013) are at a significantly increased risk for chronic pain compared to women who serve at other times, according to a new study from researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, one of the founders of the Mass General Brigham health care system.

The study also found that female family members of military personnel who served from 2006 to 2013 are more likely to suffer from chronic pain, and that those with lower socioeconomic status and mental health conditions are at even greater risk. Results are published in JAMA network opened.

“We wanted to examine the impact of frequent exposure to intense combat deployments on women in the military and their civilian spouses,” said first author Andrew Schoenfeld, MD, MSc, an orthopedic surgeon in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and the Center for Surgery and Public Prosecution. Health at BWH.

“My previous military service provided insight into the stress of repeated deployments on service members and their families. However, I was surprised by the magnitude of the effect we observed here, especially among female civilian partners. This highlights an overlooked aspect of deployment schedules that the military health system must recognize.”

Chronic pain – a painful condition that lasts for months to years – can significantly reduce quality of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this will occur as of 2021 20.9% of American adults experienced chronic pain. This condition is also costly, both to individuals and to the healthcare system, due to ongoing treatment needs and massive productivity losses.

Researchers conducted a cohort study using data from the Military Health System Data Repository, focusing on active duty service members and female dependents of active duty service members in all branches of the Department of Defense (Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps ). The study included the health records of 3,473,401 individuals aged 18 to 64, spanning the period 2006 to 2020.

Of these data, 324,499 individuals (9.3%) had a diagnosis of chronic pain. The study divided the cohort into two groups: one from 2006 to 2013, characterized by more intense combat exposure, and another from 2014 to 2020 with significantly less combat exposure. Individuals with pre-existing chronic pain diagnoses before military service were excluded.

A comparison of these cohorts found that those who worked from 2006 to 2013 had significantly higher rates of chronic pain (14.8% among active duty and 11.3% among dependents) compared to those who worked from 2014 to 2020 ( 7.1% among active duty and 3.7% among dependents). .

Specifically, military personnel from 2006 to 2013 had a 53% higher risk of chronic pain than those from 2014 to 2020.

The study also found links between chronic pain and factors such as mental health and socioeconomic status among those who served in the Army or Marine Corps.

“Populations from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and those with pre-existing mental health conditions often face increased barriers to accessing medical and behavioral health care, which can exacerbate and prolong their suffering,” Schoenfeld said.

One limitation of these findings is that they are based on claims data, which prevented researchers from directly interviewing patients to fully understand the conditions and symptoms that culminated in their chronic pain diagnoses.

Looking ahead, Schoenfeld and colleagues want to evaluate how long-term use of prescription opioids differs between active-duty women and dependents living with chronic pain. They further hope to conduct a prospective observational study to better understand the long-term health consequences of military deployment.