Abstract
This study examined coping among caregivers of youth with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Using a cross-sectional survey study design, 164 caregivers completed a demographics questionnaire and the Brief COPE. Their children, youth with SCI ages 7–18, completed the Kidcope. T-tests were conducted to examine differences in caregiver coping by demographic and injury-related factors. Further, logistic regression models were evaluated to examine predictive relationships between caregiver coping and youth coping. Several demographic and injury-related factors were related to caregiver coping, including caregiver gender, race, and education, as well as youth gender, age at injury, and time since injury. In the logistic regressions, two caregiver coping strategies were related to youth coping: caregiver self-blame coping was related to youth self-criticism, and caregiver behavioral disengagement coping (giving up attempts to cope) was related to youth blaming others coping. The findings suggest that caregiver coping may play a role in the coping of their children, and should be considered when addressing coping among youth with SCI.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Four participants were missing data on caregiver marital status.
Six participants were missing data on caregiver education.
Five participants were missing data on caregiver race.
References
Anderson, C. J., Kelly, E. H., Klaas, S. J., Russell, H., Daharsh, E., & Vogel, L. C. (2009). Anxiety and depression in children and adolescents with spinal cord injuries. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 51, 826–832.
Barkley, R. A. (2006). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (3rd ed.). New York: Guilford.
Boyer, B. A., Knolls, M. L., Kafkalas, C. M., Tollen, L. G., & Swartz, M. (2000). Prevalence and relationships of posttraumatic stress in families experiencing pediatric spinal cord injury. Rehabilitation Psychology, 45, 339–355.
Bristol, M. M., Gallagher, J. J., & Schopler, E. (1988). Mothers and fathers of young developmentally disabled and nondisabled boys: Adaptation and spousal support. Developmental Psychology, 24, 441–451.
Carver, C. S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol’s too long: Consider the brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4, 92–100.
Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F., & Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 267–283.
Culver, J. L., Arena, P. L., Wimberly, S. R., Antoni, M. H., & Carver, C. S. (2004). Coping among African-American, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White women recently treated for early stage breast cancer. Psychology and Health, 19, 157–166.
DeVivo, M. J., & Vogel, L. C. (2004). Epidemiology of spinal cord injury in children and adolescents. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 27, S4–S10.
Drotar, D. (1997). Relating parent and family functioning to the psychological adjustment of children with chronic health conditions: What have we learned? What do we need to know? Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 22, 149–165.
Edgar, K. A., & Skinner, T. C. (2003). Illness representations and coping as predictors of emotional well-being in adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 28, 485–493.
Faraone, S. V., Tsuang, M. T., & Tsuang, D. W. (1999). Genetics of mental disorders: What practitioners and students need to know. New York: Guilford.
Garma, S. I., Kelly, E. H., Daharsh, E. Z., & Vogel, L. C. (2011). Health-related quality of life after pediatric spinal cord injury. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 36, 226–236. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsq037.
Gil, K. M., Williams, D. A., Thompson, R. J., & Kinney, T. R. (1991). Sickle cell disease in children and adolescents: The relation of child and parent pain coping strategies to adjustment. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 16, 643–663.
Gorzkowski, J. A., Kelly, E. H., Klaas, S. J., & Vogel, L. C. (2010). Girls with spinal cord injury: Social and job-related participation and psychosocial outcomes. Rehabilitation Psychology, 55, 58–67.
Hayes, J. S., & Arriola, T. (2005). Pediatric spinal injuries. Pediatric Nursing, 31, 464–467.
House, L. A., Russell, H. F., Kelly, E. H., Gerson, A., & Vogel, L. C. (2009). Rehabilitation and future participation of youth following spinal cord injury: Caregiver perspectives. Spinal Cord, 47, 882–886.
Kelly, E. H., Anderson, C. J., Garma, S. I., Russell, H. F., Klaas, S. J., Gorzkowski, J. A., et al. (2011). Relationships between the psychological characteristics of youth with spinal cord injury and their primary caregivers. Spinal Cord, 49, 200–205. doi:10.1038/sc.2010.78.
Kendler, K. S., Myers, J., & Prescott, C. A. (2005). Sex differences in the relationship between social support and risk for major depression: A longitudinal study of opposite-sex twin pairs. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 250–256.
Klaas, S. J., Kelly, E. H., Gorzkowski, J., Homko, E., & Vogel, L. C. (2010). Assessing patterns of participation and enjoyment in children with spinal cord injury. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 52, 468–474. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8749.2009.03552.x.
Levinson, W., Kao, A., Kuby, A., & Thisted, R. A. (2005). Not all patients want to participate in decision making: A national study of public preferences. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 20, 531–535.
Liu, M., Lambert, C. E., & Lambert, V. A. (2007). Caregiver burden and coping patterns of Chinese parents of a child with mental illness. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 16, 86–95.
National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. (2006). Annual Report for the Model Spinal Cord Injury Care Systems. Retrieved October 17, 2008, from http://images.main.uab.edu/spinalcord/pdffiles/NSCIC%20Annual%2006.pdf.
Pett, M. A. (1997). Nonparametric statistics for health care research: Statistics for small samples and unusual distributions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Russell, H. F., Kelly, E. H., Dasch, K., Mulcahey, M. J., Betz, R. R., Gorzkowski, J., Vogel, L. C. (under review). Coping in youth with spinal cord injury.
Spirito, A., Stark, L. J., & Tyc, V. L. (1994). Stressors and coping strategies described during hospitalization by chronically ill children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 23, 314–322.
Spirito, A., Stark, L. J., & Williams, C. (1988). Development of a brief coping checklist for use with pediatric populations. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 13, 555–574.
Van De Ven, M. O. M., Engels, R. C. M. E., Sawyer, S. M., Otten, R., & Van Den Eijnden, R. J. J. M. (2007). The role of coping strategies in quality of life of adolescents with asthma. Quality of Life Research, 16, 625–634.
Williamson, G. M., Walters, A. S., & Shaffer, D. R. (2002). Caregiver models of self and others, coping, and depression: Predictors of depression in children with chronic pain. Health Psychology, 21, 405–410.
Zelikovsky, N., Schast, A. P., & Jean-Francois, D. (2007). Parent stress and coping: Waiting for a child to receive a kidney transplant. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 14, 320–329.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dasch, K.B., Russell, H.F., Kelly, E.H. et al. Coping in Caregivers of Youth with Spinal Cord Injury. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 18, 361–371 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-011-9258-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-011-9258-z