My Life, My Story and Life Recovery among Veterans with Substance Use Problems

Authors

Grace Chang MD, MPH, VA Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School, Boston University School of MedicineFollow
Martha J. Duffy MD, VA Boston Healthcare SystemFollow
Susan Nathan MD, VA Boston Healthcare System Harvard Medical School, Boston University School of Medicine AND New England GreccFollow

ORCID

Grace Chang: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5508-3013

Abstract

Objective: The United States Veterans Health Administration My Life, My Story (MLMS) program is a patient-centered care intervention where veterans are interviewed about their life story and may grant permission to include it in their electronic health record (EHR). Our purpose was to focus on a sample of MLMS narratives from veterans with self-disclosed substance use (SU) from our institution, and to evaluate the potential relationship between their content and a life change for the better, and to compare their content with the EHR. Methods: The narratives were reviewed on 4 domains (past challenge, substance use, experience of a turning point or insight, life improvement) by two reviewers using a pre-specified code book. 31 narratives were reviewed. Additional demographic and clinical data were abstracted from the EHR. Results: Veterans' mean age was 68.7 (SD = 6.0) years when interviewed. All were male and had a tobacco (23%), SU (45%), anxiety (32%), mood (45%), or post-traumatic stress (32%) problem on EHR review. 48% received outpatient mental health treatment whereas 24% received outpatient SU treatment. With regards to MLMS content, 74.2% described a significant life stressor, 93% confirmed SU, 71% reported a turning point, and 80.7% had experienced life improvement. There were no statistically significant relationships between the EHR data and MLMS content areas. However, when a turning point was described, the odds of having a life improvement were increased 26-fold (OR = 26.2, 95% CI = 2.4, 288.9, c-statistic = 0.84). Conclusion: The MLMS narrative from the veterans' perspective provides additional richness to their history unavailable in the EHR.

Recommended Citation

Chang G, Duffy MJ, Nathan S. My Life, My Story and Life Recovery among Veterans with Substance Use Problems. Patient Experience Journal. 2025; 12(1):46-54. doi: 10.35680/2372-0247.1963.

Creative Commons License

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