TY - JOUR
AU - G. P. Beehler
AU - P. R. King
AU - J. S. Funderburk
AU - M. Wade
AU - W. Goldstein
AU - G. Wilding
AU - J. L. Murphy
AU - A. Heapy
AU - K. M. Dollar
A1 - 
AB - Abbreviated psychotherapies for chronic pain improve access to care by reducing length of treatment and reaching patients outside of chronic pain clinics, such as primary care. However, the evidence for these approaches is limited. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of brief cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (ie, 6, 30-minute sessions of psychoeducation, behavioral and cognitive skills, and relapse prevention delivered individually) with 184 primary care patients with moderate to severe chronic musculoskeletal pain from a Veterans Health Administration medical center. Mean age of the sample was 59 years (SD = 13.3), 84.8% were male, and 77.2% were White. Following baseline, patients were randomized to either brief cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain plus usual pain care or usual pain care alone. Assessments were conducted at baseline plus 6 weeks (mid-treatment), 12 weeks (treatment completion), and 24 weeks (3 month post-treatment follow-up) to gather information regarding pain interference (primary outcome), pain intensity, mental health symptoms, quality of life, and social role participation. Results indicated that relative to usual pain care alone, participants who also received behavioral treatment showed statistically greater improvement in pain interference at each time point. Clinically significant improvement in pain interference was reached by mid-treatment with continued improvement at treatment completion and 3-month follow-up among the behavioral treatment group but not the usual pain care group. Behavioral treatment was also associated with improved physical quality of life and sleep quality. This significantly abbreviated behavioral treatment designed for scalability can lead to rapid and sustained improvements in pain outcomes.
AD - VA Center for Integrated Healthcare, VA Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY, United States.; University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions, Buffalo, NY, United States.; University at Buffalo Department of Rehabilitation Science, Buffalo, NY, United States.; VA Center for Integrated Healthcare, Syracuse VA Medical Center, Syracuse, NY, United States.; University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Psychiatry, Rochester, NY, United States.; Pain Management, Opioid Safety, and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, DC, United States.; VA Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven VA Medical Center, West Haven, CT, United States.; Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
AN - 42263268
BT - Pain
C5 - Healthcare Disparities
CP - 8
DA - 08/2026
DO - 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000004028
DP - NLM
ET - 20260605
IS - 8
JF - Pain
LA - eng
N2 - Abbreviated psychotherapies for chronic pain improve access to care by reducing length of treatment and reaching patients outside of chronic pain clinics, such as primary care. However, the evidence for these approaches is limited. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of brief cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (ie, 6, 30-minute sessions of psychoeducation, behavioral and cognitive skills, and relapse prevention delivered individually) with 184 primary care patients with moderate to severe chronic musculoskeletal pain from a Veterans Health Administration medical center. Mean age of the sample was 59 years (SD = 13.3), 84.8% were male, and 77.2% were White. Following baseline, patients were randomized to either brief cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain plus usual pain care or usual pain care alone. Assessments were conducted at baseline plus 6 weeks (mid-treatment), 12 weeks (treatment completion), and 24 weeks (3 month post-treatment follow-up) to gather information regarding pain interference (primary outcome), pain intensity, mental health symptoms, quality of life, and social role participation. Results indicated that relative to usual pain care alone, participants who also received behavioral treatment showed statistically greater improvement in pain interference at each time point. Clinically significant improvement in pain interference was reached by mid-treatment with continued improvement at treatment completion and 3-month follow-up among the behavioral treatment group but not the usual pain care group. Behavioral treatment was also associated with improved physical quality of life and sleep quality. This significantly abbreviated behavioral treatment designed for scalability can lead to rapid and sustained improvements in pain outcomes.
PY - 2026
SN - 0304-3959
SP - 1839
EP - 1849+
ST - Brief cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain rapidly improves pain interference: a randomized controlled trial
T1 - Brief cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain rapidly improves pain interference: a randomized controlled trial
T2 - Pain
TI - Brief cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain rapidly improves pain interference: a randomized controlled trial
U1 - Healthcare Disparities
U3 - 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000004028
VL - 167
VO - 0304-3959
Y1 - 2026
ER -