Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39266910›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of behavioral medicine2025

Progress Toward Meaning-as-Goal and Its Association with Pain, Functioning, and Global Meaning and Purpose Among Veterans with Co-occurring Chronic Pain and PTSD.

David E Reed, Roman Palitsky, Charles C Engel, Rhonda M Williams, Kurt Kroenke, Barbara G Bokhour, Steven B Zeliadt

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Article in International journal of behavioral medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

David E ReedDepartment of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. davider2@uw.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0109-5999
Roman PalitskyDepartment of Spiritual Health, Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Charles C EngelCenter of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care, VA Puget Sound, Seattle, WA, USA.
Rhonda M WilliamsRehabilitation Care Service, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA.
Kurt KroenkeRegenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Barbara G BokhourCenter for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research, VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA, USA.
Steven B ZeliadtDepartment of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.

Funding

HSRD VA PEC 13-001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCo-occurring chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with poorer physical and mental functioning and well-being. Treatments often incorporate goal-setting around personally meaningful behaviors; however, it is unclear whether intentionally focusing on improving meaning and purpose in life (i.e., meaning-as-goal) may also serve as a helpful treatment target. The objective of the current study is to determine whether reported progress toward meaning-as-goal at 6 months is associated with pain severity and interference, physical and mental health functioning, and global meaning and purpose at 6- and 12-months.

methodsData were collected as part of an evaluation effort focused on VA's Whole Health System implementation efforts. VA electronic health records were linked to survey data across three time points (baseline, 6 months, and 12 months) from Veterans with both chronic pain and PTSD across 18 VA sites. A total of 1341 Veterans met inclusion criteria (mean age = 62, SD = 11.7).

resultsRegression analyses showed that progress toward meaning-as-goal was significantly associated with all 6-month variables, with standardized coefficients ranging from - 0.14 (pain severity and interference) to .37 (global meaning and purpose), in addition to all 12-month variables, with standardized coefficients ranging from - .13 (pain severity and interference) to .31 (global meaning and purpose).

conclusionsEfforts to intentionally promote meaning and purpose as part of evidence-based treatment for chronic pain and PTSD may lead to decreased pain and improved physical and mental health functioning and global meaning and purpose. With coefficients ranging from small to moderate effect sizes, more work is needed to better understand how best to maximize meaning-related goals.

Indexed as

Chronic PainGoalsStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticVeteransAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedUnited StatesChronic painGoal-settingMeaning in lifeMeaning-makingPosttraumatic stress disorderVeterans

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.