Summary
In a 4-year study in Connecticut patients with acute spinal cord injuries were interviewed at discharge from their acute care hospital and 1 year after injury in order to ascertain their psychological adaptation to, and coping with, injury and disability. This report analyzes the 1-year data which was available on 96 patients and describes their psychological status at 1 year in terms of its relationship with selected socio-demographic characteristics, and neurological and functional (activities of daily living) status at discharge and 1 year. It is concluded that although patients have started to cope with their disability 1 year after injury this process is far from complete. Affective reactions to disability have not declined between discharge and one year. Longer follow-up is required to document more complete resolution of psychological reactions to this type of disability.
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This study was supported by a grant (3 PO1 NS-10174-04) from the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke
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Bracken, M.B., Bernstein, M. Adaptation to and coping with disability one year after spinal cord injury: An epidemiological study. Soc Psychiatry 15, 33–41 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00577959
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00577959