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Volume 5
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10.3390/traumacare5040027
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

The Impact of Acupuncture on Health-Related Quality of Life in Veterans with Combat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Control Trial

by
Andrea Munoz
1,*,
Jennifer Lai-Trzebiatowski
1,
Tyler Smith
2,
Nikki N. Frousakis
1,
An-Fu Hsiao
1,3,
Seth D. Norrholm
4,
Chelsea Aden
1,
Teresa Calloway
1,
Megan Jung
1,
Kala Carrick
1,
Ruth Alpert
1,
Anastasia Krajec
1,
Tanja Jovanovic
4 and
Michael Hollifield
1,5
1
Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA
2
Department of Health Services and Leadership, School of Health Professions, National University, San Diego, CA 92237, USA
3
Department of Medicine, Health Policy Research Institute and General Internal Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
4
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
5
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20037, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Trauma Care 2025, 5(4), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/traumacare5040027 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 9 August 2025 / Revised: 13 November 2025 / Accepted: 19 November 2025 / Published: 23 November 2025
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Background: Quality of life is a foundational component of overall health and is negatively impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the last decade, acupuncture treatment has become a popularized treatment option for PTSD, especially for Veterans. Research evidence is needed to provide support for acupuncture as a treatment for PTSD which leads to an enhanced quality of life. Objectives: This paper investigated the changes in health-related quality of life in Veterans with combat PTSD who enrolled in a 5-year randomized (two-arm, parallel-group, prospective, single-blinded) clinical trial, completing either a control (Sham) or acupuncture (Verum) treatment (N = 93). Methods: Health-related quality of life was measured by the Veterans RAND 12-item Health Survey (VR-12). Paired t tests between and among participants’ differences were calculated for the Verum acupuncture group, Sham acupuncture group, and Total group. Results: Veterans who completed acupuncture treatment in either randomized arm (Verum and Sham) had a self-perceived improvement in quality of life when assessing physical and mental health symptoms. Specifically, those who were randomized and completed Verum acupuncture treatment reported the greatest improvement in mental health quality of life. Conclusions: Study results support prior foundational findings that acupuncture has a positive effect on self-reported quality of life by reducing PTSD symptoms in Veterans with combat PTSD, with Verum acupuncture eliciting the greatest improvement on mental health symptoms.
Keywords: post-traumatic stress disorder; acupuncture; quality of life; health improvement; physical health; mental health; complimentary health treatment; integrative health treatment post-traumatic stress disorder; acupuncture; quality of life; health improvement; physical health; mental health; complimentary health treatment; integrative health treatment

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Munoz, A.; Lai-Trzebiatowski, J.; Smith, T.; Frousakis, N.N.; Hsiao, A.-F.; Norrholm, S.D.; Aden, C.; Calloway, T.; Jung, M.; Carrick, K.; et al. The Impact of Acupuncture on Health-Related Quality of Life in Veterans with Combat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Control Trial. Trauma Care 2025, 5, 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/traumacare5040027

AMA Style

Munoz A, Lai-Trzebiatowski J, Smith T, Frousakis NN, Hsiao A-F, Norrholm SD, Aden C, Calloway T, Jung M, Carrick K, et al. The Impact of Acupuncture on Health-Related Quality of Life in Veterans with Combat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Control Trial. Trauma Care. 2025; 5(4):27. https://doi.org/10.3390/traumacare5040027

Chicago/Turabian Style

Munoz, Andrea, Jennifer Lai-Trzebiatowski, Tyler Smith, Nikki N. Frousakis, An-Fu Hsiao, Seth D. Norrholm, Chelsea Aden, Teresa Calloway, Megan Jung, Kala Carrick, and et al. 2025. "The Impact of Acupuncture on Health-Related Quality of Life in Veterans with Combat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Control Trial" Trauma Care 5, no. 4: 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/traumacare5040027

APA Style

Munoz, A., Lai-Trzebiatowski, J., Smith, T., Frousakis, N. N., Hsiao, A.-F., Norrholm, S. D., Aden, C., Calloway, T., Jung, M., Carrick, K., Alpert, R., Krajec, A., Jovanovic, T., & Hollifield, M. (2025). The Impact of Acupuncture on Health-Related Quality of Life in Veterans with Combat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Control Trial. Trauma Care, 5(4), 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/traumacare5040027

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