# Assessing the Efficacy of an Acceptance-Based Digital Intervention to Improve Functioning for Veterans with Chronic Pain

> **NIH VA I01** · EDITH NOURSE  ROGERS MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSPITAL · 2024 · —

## Abstract

Chronic pain (CP) is a serious concern that disproportionately affects Veterans compared to the general
public; Veterans are diagnosed with CP at high rates (47 – 56%) with a 40% greater rate of severe pain than
non-Veterans. The negative functional outcomes of chronic pain among Veterans are wide-ranging and include
decreased ability to complete daily work activities, less social support from and closeness with family members,
increased chronic health conditions (e.g., heart disease), and higher mortality compared to Veterans without
chronic pain. Unfortunately, the use of medication for long-term pain treatment, though often utilized, has
both limited efficacy and potentially harmful outcomes. Given these concerns, there is an urgent need for
innovative and integrative approaches for non-medical pain self-management. Despite the critical importance
of effective pain self-management programs, many Veterans with chronic pain do not engage in the pain self-
management programs currently offered by VA. There are numerous reasons for this, including perceived time
and transportation concerns and pain-related barriers to attending in-person care. Thus, the development and
evaluation of innovative, evidence-based interventions for pain management that can be accessed from home is
a crucial step towards improving quality of life for Veterans with chronic pain.
 One approach with over twenty years of efficacious treatment for chronic pain is Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain (ACT-CP). ACT is a well-established and VA-approved approach to
chronic pain management, and focuses on committing to behavior change that reflects personal values, leading
to significant improvement in life functioning. Though provided at many VA hospitals, clinician-delivered ACT
for chronic pain has not had a nationwide rollout and is not available at all VA pain clinics. Additionally, many
Veterans with chronic pain do not access one-on-one therapeutic treatment due to transportation and time
issues. Thankfully, for adults with chronic pain outside of the VA, technology-delivered ACT has been found to
be acceptable, useful, and efficacious in delivering pain treatment. However, although research suggests it
could help with at-home pain management, no ACT for chronic pain online treatment exists specifically for
Veterans and their particular care needs.
 To address this treatment option gap, our research team created an online Veteran ACT for chronic pain
(VACT-CP) during the PI’s Rehabilitation R&D CDA-2 project. VACT-CP is guided by an interactive virtual
coach (Coach Anne) to help address pain-related distress and functional difficulties of chronic pain (e.g.,
avoidance, reactivity) over seven weeks of treatment. Preliminary findings demonstrate that VACT-CP is highly
usable, perceived as helpful, and can help Veterans increase their pain acceptance and pain management. The
primary outcomes for this project will be to complete a three-site, fully-powered effic...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10752825
- **Project number:** 1I01RX004804-01
- **Recipient organization:** EDITH NOURSE  ROGERS MEMORIAL VETERANS HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Erin Reilly
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-11-01 → 2027-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10752825

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10752825, Assessing the Efficacy of an Acceptance-Based Digital Intervention to Improve Functioning for Veterans with Chronic Pain (1I01RX004804-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10752825. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*