Group video therapy for older Veterans with chronic pain
Evaluating Group-Based Psychological Treatments over Home Video Teleconference for Older Veterans with Chronic Pain
This project compares three types of group video therapy—emotion-focused therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy for pain, and mindfulness tailored for pain—for older Veterans living with chronic pain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11252777 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would join a group of other older Veterans and be randomly assigned to one of three group therapies delivered by video to your home. Sessions use Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP), or Mindfulness Meditation tailored for pain and meet regularly over telehealth. The study tracks pain, function, and emotional measures over time and looks at how and why people improve. Researchers will also look for who benefits most so treatments can be better matched to patients.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are older U.S. Veterans with ongoing chronic pain who can use home video telehealth and participate in group sessions.
Not a fit: People with severe cognitive impairment, active unstable psychiatric conditions, or those without reliable access to private video telehealth may not be appropriate or benefit from this study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could identify more effective and longer-lasting psychological options delivered by video that improve pain and access for older Veterans.
How similar studies have performed: Cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness approaches have shown modest benefits in past studies, while EAET and direct large-scale comparisons delivered by group telehealth are less well tested.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, United States
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yarns, Brandon C — VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
- Study coordinator: Yarns, Brandon C
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.