Spinal cord injury, coping and psychological adjustment: a literature review

Abstract

Objectives: This paper reviews the literature concerning psychological adjustment to spinal cord injury, focusing on the recent methodological developments and new directions in research. Method: Several literature reviews using the search terms Spinal Cord Injury, Paraplegia, Coping and Adjustment were undertaken using the databases in Pubmed, Medline and Embase. The papers that were published from 2001 onwards, written in English and used a sample of adults were included. Results: The literature reviewed lends further support to the importance of appraisals and coping strategies in the adjustment to spinal cord injury. Methodological issues highlighted in earlier reviews are addressed in conjunction with further theoretical explorations. Conclusions: Although many of the methodological criticisms have been addressed, there remains a need for longitudinal research into the process of adjustment to spinal cord injury and the contributory role of appraisals and coping strategies. Measurement tools designed specifically for use within the spinal cord injured population should be utilized in the prevention of maladaptive adjustment issues, whereas able-bodied comparison groups would allow identification of coping strategies unique to the spinal cord injured population.

Psychological resources in spinal cord injury: a systematic literature review

“…Furthermore, social skills, locus of control and coping, which are psychological resources, have not been considered, because current reviews summarizing findings about these factors have been published in SCI. [18][19][20] It is important to note that coping was only mentioned if it was associated with one of the psychological resources, which we have included. Consequently, the results of this review do not represent the whole picture of current knowledge on coping in SCI.…”

“…Current reviews in SCI have examined adjustment outcomes such as mental health and quality of life. [5][6][7]18 In addition, external resources such as social support, 19 and internal psychological resources such as locus of control 20 and coping style 18 have been implicated in adjustment outcomes but because of the unaccounted variance, there are perhaps a range of other psychological resources that could be contributing. A systematic overview of psychological resources in SCI does not exist yet.…”

“…A summary of current findings on psychological resources could provide a basis for better understanding of adjustment, inform clinical practice, and could be used to develop and apply interventions tailored to strengthen people with SCI. To avoid redundancy with existing literature, [5][6][7]18,20 this review has explicitly excluded social skills, coping and locus of control as potential psychological resources. They are only mentioned and discussed if their relation to the included psychological resources has been examined.…”

Associations between psychological factors and quality of life ratings in persons with spinal cord injury: a systematic review

“…5 To date, three narrative reviews have surveyed psychological determinants of QOL in persons with SCI. [6][7][8] The first review in 1999 covered a wide array of social and psychological factors in persons with SCI, yet did not extensively address the relationships between psychological factors and QOL. 6 The second review in 2001 focused on appraisals and coping, but concluded that it remains to be determined 'to what extent other variables add to the prediction of emotional adjustment to SCI' (Galwin and Godfrey, 7 p 624).…”

“…6 The second review in 2001 focused on appraisals and coping, but concluded that it remains to be determined 'to what extent other variables add to the prediction of emotional adjustment to SCI' (Galwin and Godfrey, 7 p 624). A recent review in 2009 expanded upon the role of coping and appraisals in adjustment to SCI, and provided evidence for the importance of self-efficacy, social cognition, sense of coherence, purpose 8 in life and locus of control (LOC) in the QOL of persons with SCI. Each of these factors was only briefly discussed, however, and the findings of different studies were not compared.…”