| Summary: | Background/Purpose: A biopsychosocial approach for the treatment of veterans with chronic pain is warranted. Veterans are more likely to report severe pain than non- veterans and reports suggest that the prevalence of pain complaints among veterans is growing steadily with each passing year. In addition, veterans also have a high prevalence of psychological comorbidities that can play an important role in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the stages of change, psychological distress, pain catastrophizing, and disability in veterans with chronic pain referred to outpatient physical therapy. Methods: Distress, function, and pain catastrophizing were examined according to the stages of change and regression models were developed to account for variance. Findings: There was a significant difference found for pain catastrophizing but not for distress or function based on the stage of change. The stages of change explained a significant amount of variance of function and catastrophizing, when controlling for age and sex. Conclusion: The stage of change adds significant value to the prediction of function and catastrophizing. Clinical Relevance: To maximize treatment outcomes and to influence behavior change, physical therapists must monitor a veteran's readiness to change and align our interventions accordingly.
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