A longitudinal analysis of emotional impact, coping strategies and post-traumatic psychological growth following spinal cord injury: a 10-year review

Abstract

Objectives: To review emotional impact, psychological growth and coping strategies in a sample of traumatic spinal cord injured people from 12 weeks post-injury to 10 years post-hospital discharge.

Design: Longitudinal, multiple wave panel design.

Methods: Eighty-seven people with traumatically acquired spinal cord injuries were assessed at 12 weeks post-injury and followed up 10 years later (43% of the original sample responded). The Beck Depression Inventory, the State Anxiety Inventory, the COPE Scale, the Functional Independence Measure and the Social Support Inventory were completed on both occasions.

Results: Rates of anxiety and depression had changed little over the 10-year period. Two-thirds of the sample showed no signs or symptoms of depression. Coping strategies remained relatively stable over time, statistically significant regression models (coping strategies at week 12 post-injury) predicted one-third of the variance in depression at year 10. Rates of post-traumatic psychological growth were associated with higher levels of psychological distress.

Conclusions: These results suggest that many people living with spinal cord injury manage the consequences of their disability without significant levels of psychopathology. However, the coping strategies they employ remain critical in accounting for this adjustment. The relationship between post-traumatic growth and psychological well-being was found to be complex, raising many questions for future research.