Improving the long-term adjustment of spinal cord injured persons.
METHODS
The study involved the long-term assessment of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) who previously participated in a nonrandomized longitudinal controlled trial.


OBJECTIVE
The objective was to report on the effectiveness of early psychological intervention in improving some aspects of adjustment to SCI 2 years post injury.


METHODS
The study was conducted in Sydney, Australia.


METHODS
Twenty-eight SCI persons who had participated in group Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) during hospital rehabilitation were assessed for drug usage, hospital readmissions, relationships, perceived adjustment and social discrimination 2 years after treatment. The intervention group's responses on the measures were compared with a control group of 31 SCI persons who only received traditional rehabilitation services during their hospitalization.


RESULTS
Subjects in the treatment group experienced less hospital re-admissions, used less drugs and reported higher levels of adjustment compared to the control group. Relationships were stable for both groups and there were no suicides in either group up to 2 years. There were no differences in perceived social discrimination between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The study suggests the long-term adjustment for SCI persons is encouraging for the majority. However, the provision of group CBT for SCI persons appears to improve significantly some aspects of adjustment to the injury in the long-term.
Craig
A
A
Department of Health Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.
Hancock
K
K
Dickson
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011287:Prejudice; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires