title: The impact of pain on spiritual well-being in people with a spinal cord injury.
abstract: METHODS
  The study uses a cross-sectional, group comparison, questionnaire-based design.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether spinal cord injury and pain have an impact on spiritual well-being and whether there is an association between spiritual well-being and measures of pain and psychological function.
  
  
  METHODS
  University teaching hospital in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaires evaluating pain, psychological and spiritual well-being were administered to a group of people with a spinal cord injury (n=53) and a group without spinal cord injury (n=37). Spiritual well-being was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness and Therapy - Spirituality Extended Scale (FACIT-Sp-Ex). Pain and psychological function were also assessed using standard, validated measures of pain intensity, pain interference, mood and cognition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Levels of spiritual well-being in people with a spinal cord injury were significantly lower when compared with people without a spinal cord injury. In addition, there was a moderate but significant negative correlation between spiritual well-being and pain intensity. There was also a strong and significant negative correlation between depression and spiritual well-being and a strong and significant positive correlation between spiritual well-being and both pain self-efficacy and satisfaction with life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consequences of a spinal cord injury include increased levels of spiritual distress, which is associated, with higher levels of pain and depression and lower levels of pain self-efficacy and satisfaction with life. These findings indicate the importance of addressing spiritual well-being as an important component in the long-term rehabilitation of any person following spinal cord injury.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  This study was supported by grant funding from the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pain Management, Greenwich Hospital, HammondCare, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Sydney Medical School - Northern, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Kolling Institute, Northern Sydney Local Health District, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Siddall
authors.affiliation: Pain Management Research Institute, Kolling Institute, Northern Sydney Local Health District, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McIndoe
authors.affiliation: Department of Pain Management, Greenwich Hospital, HammondCare, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Austin
authors.affiliation: Sydney Medical School - Northern, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Pain Management Research Institute, Kolling Institute, Northern Sydney Local Health District, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Wrigley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003071:Cognition; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011581:Psychological Tests; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D029181:Spirituality; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D055815:Young Adult