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A phone call could ease chronic pain and depression in older veterans

NCT ID NCT05220202

Symptom relief Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 28, 2026 · Last updated Sep 09, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This trial tests a telephone-based coaching program called MOTIVATE for older veterans who live with chronic musculoskeletal pain and depression. Participants receive eight individual phone sessions with a health coach over up to five months, focusing on managing pain and mood. Researchers measure whether the program reduces pain interference and depressive symptoms compared with usual care. The goal is to see if this practical, home-based approach can improve daily functioning and emotional well-being.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
MOTIVATE, a telephone-based behavioral coaching program
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a practical, home-based way to reduce pain interference and depressive symptoms in older veterans with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
What could go wrong
The trial is relatively small and the intervention is behavioral, so results may vary. The program requires active participation over several months, and benefits may not persist after coaching ends.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

214 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Sep 2023

Finished

Jul 2026

Lead sponsor

A government agency

The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

60 to 99 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * English- speaking * Self-reported musculoskeletal (MSK) pain (include Chronic low back pain (cLBP) +/- radiating symptoms, osteoarthritis (OA), fibromyalgia) on most days for the past 3 months that interferes with daily activities * Pain intensity that is 4+/10 on the numerical pain rating scale * Pain interference threshold 5+ on 3-item Pain, Enjoyment of Life, and General Activity scale (PEG-3) * Depressive symptoms, 10+ on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) * Capable of participating in home-based activity * Interested in participating in a non-pharmacologic program Exclusion Criteria: * No telephone * Not English speaking * Unwilling to be randomized to either study arm * Not interested in participating in a non-pharmacologic program * Self-reported uncorrected hearing and visual impairments precluding ability to participate in telephone sessions or read pedometer screen * Significant (moderate or severe) cognitive impairment (3+ errors) on six-item screening exam * Self-reported dependence on wheelchair, bed-bound, or severe balance impairment or severe osteoarthritis (OA)\* (resulting in inability to participate in physical activity intervention) * Illness requiring hospitalization within the last 3 months that interferes with a home-based physical activity intervention (e.g., fall, gout attack, stroke, heart attack, heart failure, surgery for blocked arteries) * Suicidal intent (see suicide screening protocol), uncontrolled psychotic disorder or psychiatric hospitalization within 1 year, or enrolled in active substance use program (confirmed with scripted protocol over telephone)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Depression depressive disorder Musculoskeletal Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Aging Chronic back pain Depression Musculoskeletal pain

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX

    Houston, Texas, 77030-4211, United States

  • VA North Texas Health Care System Dallas VA Medical Center, Dallas, TX

    Dallas, Texas, 75216-7167, United States

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