Table 1 Characteristics of soldiers with chronic pain and VHA linkage after separating from the military (N = 138,206)

 Age, median (IQR), y

27.0 (22–36)

26.0 (22–35)

<  0.001

 Female sex, No. (%)

3475 (12.0)

13,931 (12.8)

<  0.001

 Race/ethnicity, No. (%)

<  0.001

  White, not Hispanic

18,101 (62.5)

60,961 (55.9)

  Black, not Hispanic

4124 (14.2)

22,144 (20.3)

  Hispanic

2808 (9.7)

11,418 (10.5)

  Other

3935 (13.6)

14,491 (13.3)

 Marital status, No. (%)

<  0.001

  Married

18,684 (64.4)

70,900 (64.9)

  Never Married

8531 (29.4)

30,761 (28.2)

  Other

1804 (6.2)

7526 (6.9)

 Index cohort, No. (%)

0.015

  2008

6169 (21.3)

22,980 (21.0)

  2009

8756 (30.2)

33,396 (30.6)

  2010

7615 (26.2)

28,504 (26.1)

  2011

3565 (12.3)

13,521 (12.4)

  2012

1932 (6.7)

7392 (6.8)

  2013

712 (2.5)

2600 (2.4)

  2014

270 (0.9)

794 (0.7)

 Rank, No. (%)

<  0.001

  Enlisted

24,614 (84.8)

100,982 (92.5)

  Warrant officer

937 (3.2)

2051 (1.9)

  Commissioned Officer

3466 (11.9)

6149 (5.6)

 Days deployed before index, median (IQR) ^a

0.0 (0.0–2.97)

0.0 (0.0–3.32)

<  0.001

 Days deployed after index, median (IQR) ^a

0.01 (0.01–1.13)

0.01 (0.01–0.74)

<  0.001

 Reason for separating from the military, No. (%)

<  0.001

  Expiration of enlistment

7287 (25.1)

24,043 (22.0)

  Disability

5607 (19.3)

40,083 (36.7)

  Retirement

7354 (25.3)

20,237 (18.5)

  Misconduct

1872 (6.5)

4278 (3.9)

  Poor performance

2914 (10.0)

11,352 (10.4)

  Other

3985 (13.7)

9194 (8.4)

 Days after index deployment to separation, mean (SD)

1128 (640)

1099 (616)

<  0.001

 Years of observation in MHS, median (IQR)

4.25 (2.50–5.75)

4.50 (2.75–6.00)

<  0.001

  Peripheral & central nervous system disorders

842 (2.9)

4463 (4.1)

<  0.001

  Osteoarthritis

1181 (4.1)

5178 (4.7)

<  0.001

  Back & neck disorders

12,082 (41.6)

53,462 (49.0)

<  0.001

  Headaches & migraines

2858 (9.8)

17,423 (16.0)

<  0.001

  Non-traumatic joint disorders

13,616 (46.9)

54,444 (49.9)

<  0.001

  Other musculoskeletal disorders

12,173 (41.9)

47,548 (43.5)

<  0.001

  Visceral & pelvic disorders

2211 (7.6)

9717 (8.9)

<  0.001

  Wounds & injuries

2261 (7.8)

9371 (8.6)

<  0.001

  Acute & post-operative diagnoses, trauma

151 (0.5)

1049 (1.0)

<  0.001

  Other diagnoses associated with pain

40 (0.1)

151 (0.1)

1.000

  Chronic pain by ICD definition

6778 (23.4)

35,732 (32.7)

<  0.001

 Number of chronic pain categories, No. (%)

<  0.001

  one

14,126 (48.7)

39,542 (36.2)

  two

7510 (25.9)

28,151 (25.8)

  three

3564 (12.3)

16,669 (15.3)

  four or more

3819 (13.2)

24,825 (22.7)

 Highest reported pain level, No. (%)

<  0.001

  None (0)

1090 (3.8)

2394 (2.2)

  Low (1–3)

1794 (6.2)

4105 (3.8)

  Moderate (4–6)

8256 (28.5)

25,420 (23.3)

  Severe (7–10)

17,339 (59.8)

75,366 (69.0)

  Unknown

540 (1.9)

1902 (1.7)

 Mental disorders, No. (%) ^b

  Adjustment disorder

10,817 (37.3)

55,406 (50.7)

<  0.001

  Depressive disorders

7519 (25.9)

42,395 (38.8)

<  0.001

  Anxiety disorders

8438 (29.1)

47,131 (43.2)

<  0.001

  Posttraumatic stress disorder

5101 (17.6)

34,762 (31.8)

<  0.001

  Traumatic brain injury

6626 (22.8)

34,167 (31.3)

<  0.001

  Alcohol use disorder

4004 (13.8)

19,896 (18.2)

<  0.001

  Substance use disorder

4099 (14.1)

18,813 (17.2)

<  0.001

 Used mental health services, No. (%)

19,854 (68.4)

88,108 (80.7)

<  0.001

 Used SUD services, No. (%)

1802 (6.2)

8513 (7.8)

<  0.001

 Used NPT for pain, No. (%)

22,191 (76.5)

89,344 (81.8)

<  0.001

 Number of days with NPT for pain, median (IQR) ^c

2.29 (0.20–6.72)

3.29 (0.67–8.67)

<  0.001

 Days supply opioids ^c, median (IQR)

3.70 (0.71–12.7)

6.77 (1.67–24.0)

<  0.001

 Days supply tramadol ^c, median (IQR)

0.0 (0.0–3.33)

0.0 (0.0–8.0)

<  0.001