Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain in Older Veterans: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain in Older Veterans: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Overview

Chronic pain is common and disabling in older adults, and psychological interventions are indicated. However, the gold standard approach, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), produces only modest benefits, and more powerful options are needed.

Study Details

The trial included a racially and ethnically diverse group of veterans aged 60 to 95 years with at least 3 months of musculoskeletal pain. The interventions included emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET) and CBT, each presented as one 90-minute individual session followed by eight 90-minute group sessions.

Key Findings

The results showed that EAET was superior to CBT for reducing pain severity, anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms. Participants in the EAET group experienced greater reduction in pain severity and higher satisfaction with therapy compared to the CBT group.

Implications

The findings suggest that EAET may be a preferred intervention for medically and psychiatrically complex patients with pain. Incorporating the principles of EAET into mainstream clinical pain medicine could improve the societal burden of chronic pain.

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Value

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