# Integrated Treatment for Veterans with Co-Occurring Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder

> **NIH NIH UH3** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO · 2020 · $558,226

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Chronic pain is common, costly, and debilitating. Opioid prescription in the treatment of chronic
pain is frequent and carries a consequent risk of poor treatment outcome, as well as higher
morbidity and mortality in a clinically significant number of patients, particularly those who meet
criteria for opioid dependence. Despite the alarming increases in prescription opiate misuse and
opioid use disorder (OUD) nationally in the United States, there are few treatment options
available that target both pain-related interference and OUD among patients with chronic pain.
In military veterans, this issue is of particular importance as numerous reports indicate frequent
use of opioids in the treatment of chronic pain, as well as increasing opioid-related problems. To
date, there are no evidenced-based treatment options which aim to both reduce pain
interference simultaneously addressing problematic opioid use. The overall aim of the present
study will be to determine the efficacy of an integrated psychosocial treatment in veterans with
chronic pain, who are taking buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD. To examine this aim, we
will utilize a randomized design to assess the efficacy of two empirically supported interventions:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for chronic pain and Mindfulness Based Relapse
Prevention for substance use and misuse. Efficacy will be assessed by examining pain
interference and substance use outcome after three months of active treatment, as well as at 6
and 12 month follow-ups. Secondary outcomes, including depression, pain-related fears, and
opioid misuse risk, will also be assessed at these same follow-ups. The study will also examine
the relation between within-treatment changes in treatment mechanisms, including pain
acceptance, engagement in values based action, and opioid craving, and changes at post-
treatment and follow-up. The results of this study will directly inform treatment of chronic pain
patients and represents a significant advance in the growing and understudied problem of OUD
among chronic pain patients. In addition to addressing the question of whether the treatment is
feasible, it will further examine issues of treatment mechanisms to better inform the provision of
treatment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10250682
- **Project number:** 4UH3DA051241-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO
- **Principal Investigator:** KEVIN E VOWLES
- **Activity code:** UH3 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $558,226
- **Award type:** 4N
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10250682

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10250682, Integrated Treatment for Veterans with Co-Occurring Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder (4UH3DA051241-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10250682. Licensed CC0.

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