Objectives: This article reviews literature examining the psychological adjustment to Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and illustrates the applicability of a Stress Appraisal and Coping model (SAC) for rehabilitation of this population. Method: Articles concerning psychological adjustment to SCI from the previous three decades have been reviewed and critiqued. When possible the articles have been discussed in a SAC framework. Results: The literature indicates that psychological adjustment to SCI is largely predictable from psychological variables including coping, appraisal and psychosocial resources. Recent literature has suggested psychological intervention can promote positive psychological adjustment following SCI for those individuals at risk of developing clinical levels of depression. Conclusion:The SAC model provides a comprehensive formulation to incorporate the heterogeneity of populations with SCI. Suggestions for future research include developing assessment and treatment regimes speci®cally tailored to the strengths and weaknesses of an individual as highlighted in the model. Spinal Cord (2001) 39, 615 ± 627

Closed-head injury (CHI) patients at either 6 months (n = 24), 1 year (n = 19), or 2 to 3 years (n = 23) postinjury, were compared with a group of orthopedic control (OC) patients (n = 27). CHI patients assessed at 6 months postinjury experienced a Post-Traumatic Insight Disorder, in which they underreported the severity of their behavioural impairments. CHI patients in the 1 year and 2 to 3 year follow-up groups evidenced both greater insight about their level of behavioural impairment, and higher levels of emotional dysfunction. These findings suggested that the return of insight is associated with increased risk for emotional dysfunction. Implications of these findings for assessment and treatment of closed-head injury patients are discussed.

Fifty-five spousal caregivers of persons with multiple sclerosis completed a questionnaire assessing the stress associated with caregiving. They were found to experience a range of negative effects, similar to those reported by other groups of carers of persons with degenerative neurological diseases. The behaviors causing most distress to the carers were associated with motor problems, sudden mood changes, partner upsetting other people, incontinence and pain. Overall, wives had higher burden scores than husbands. This was accounted for primarily by their higher levels of physical distress such as tiredness. Following the stress-appraisal-coping model of Lazarus and Folkman (1984) it was hypothesized that individual differences in burden would be accounted for primarily by the carers' appraisal of the symptoms, perceived social support, and satisfaction with coping. Regression analyses supported the importance of satisfaction with coping and social support as predictors of perceived burden. In addition, life satisfaction was found to be predicted by burden independently of other predictors.

Individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus-Type 1 (HIV-1), are at increased risk for neurobehavioral impairment, particularly in later stages of the disease. Even patients in the medically asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic stages of infection may show mild deficits on comprehensive neuropsychological (NP) test batteries, although the clinical significance of such deficits remains uncertain. The present study used vocational difficulties as markers of clinical significance of NP impairment. In a sample of 289 HIV-infected, nondemented men, those who evidenced NP impairment had a higher unemployment rate (p < .001) than did their unimpaired counterparts. In HIV-positive subjects who remained employed, NP impairment was strongly associated with subjective decreases in job-related abilities. Neither depression nor medical symptoms could explain the relationship between the NP impairment and employment problems. These results are consistent with previous studies investigating other neuropsychiatric disorders, which suggest that even mild NP impairment can interfere with employment status. From this standpoint, such impairment in HIV-infected persons may be described as "clinically significant."

Normative statistics are provided for the UCLA Loneliness Scale based on the results of a sample of 978 adult subjects collected during a general population health survey. Factor analysis of the data revealed that the scale had a two factor structure; positively worded items loaded on one factor and negatively worded items on the other. Results from the factor analysis were used to construct two equivalent 10‐item short forms of the scale. Previous findings that the scale is highly reliable were confirmed.