The Adjustment Process for Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between perceived changes in sense of coherence from pre- to postinjury and adjustment for a group of individuals with spinal cord injury. It was hypothesized that after a spinal cord injury, an individual's belief that he or she had significantly reduced his or her sense of coherence would be associated with reduced adjustment. Forty-eight individuals with spinal cord injury completed Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Scale and Livneh and Antonak's Reactions to Impairment and Disability Inventory. Results indicated a positive relationship between adjustment and strengthened sense of coherence. Rehabilitation counselor implications are discussed.

Does spirituality facilitate adjustment and resilience among individuals and families after SCI?

“…Disabil Rehabil, Early Online: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] faith [16], meaning making [37,38], purpose in life [39], sense of coherence [40], post-traumatic growth [41] and hope [42]. These constructs, outlined below, were included in this scoping review due to their close relationship with spirituality.…”

“…After a traumatic loss, it has been proposed that some individuals undergo a process to reconstruct their world, make sense of the loss, and engage in meaning finding processes [38]. What may become most important is not why a traumatic event has occurred, but the belief that one is living a purposeful life in harmony with one's individual beliefs and values [36].…”

“…In addition to the nine studies specifically considering spirituality, seven studies measured constructs closely related to spirituality, namely sense of coherence (SOC) [38,65], purpose in life (PIL) [36,39], hope [1,66] and meaning [67]. Positive outcomes associated with these constructs included psychological well-being [36,65], life satisfaction [66], perceived growth [67] and adjustment [1,38,39].…”

“…Positive outcomes associated with these constructs included psychological well-being [36,65], life satisfaction [66], perceived growth [67] and adjustment [1,38,39]. Three of these studies were longitudinal.…”

“…They were also more likely to use positive ''acceptance'' as a coping strategy. In a cross-sectional study, which also considered the relationship between SOC and adjustment (as measured by the scales of the Reactions to Impairment and Disability Inventory), Lustig [38] found that perceived strengthened SOC was associated with adaptive adjustment, whereas perceived weakened SOC was associated with non-adaptive adjustment after SCI.…”