Psychosocial outcome following spinal cord injury

Abstract

Studies have indicated that loss of social contact remains the primary complaint of people with head injuries many years after discharge. In an attempt to disentangle specific and nonspecific effects of head injury a study was undertaken to compare a group of 15 men with severe closed head injuries and their wives, with a group of 15 men with complete, traumatic spinal cord injuries and their partners (n = 60). Time since discharge extended from 4 months to several years. This paper focuses primarily upon the results and implication of the responses from the group of men with spinal cord injuries and their partners. The Interview Schedule for Social Interaction was correlated with the Leeds Scale for the Self Assessment of Anxiety and Depression. All groups reported low availability and adequacy of social integration and exhibited high levels of depression. The group of men with spinal cord injuries had the lowest scores for the availability of social integration, indicating that the social isolation which has previously been identified amongst people with head injuries may not be attributable solely to brain damage.