Understanding Depressive Symptoms Among Individuals With Spinal Cord Injuries

Abstract

Depression is a serious mental disorder that is estimated to affect roughly 16% of individuals at some point in their lives (National Institute of Mental Health, 2005). In any one-year period in the United States, mood disorders affect 11% of adults and 6% of children (Woo & Keating, 2008). Furthermore, rates of depression are increasing, while the age of onset is decreasing. Some researchers have described this era as "the age of melancholy" (Schotte, Van De Bossche, Doncker, Claes, & Cosyns, 2006). These authors propose that biogenetic, psychological, somatic, and societal factors trigger distress which decreases an individual's resistance to developing depressive symptoms.People diagnosed with depression typically display symptoms of discouragement, hopelessness, fatigue, insomnia, and an inability to concentrate and make decisions (American Psychiatric Association, 2006). The co-occurrence of depression with other illnesses, such as anxiety and substance abuse disorders, is related to a decrease in positive treatment outcomes, premature termination from treatment, increased symptom severity, lower levels of functioning, and higher rates of suicide (Woo & Keating, 2008). It is estimated that approximately 60% of individuals who successfully attempt suicide were experiencing a mood disorder at the time of death (Woo & Keating, 2008). Due to the high prevalence of depression, the impact it has on the lives of those affected by it, and the personal and economic costs associated with the disorder, this remains one of the most important topics of research today. Depression in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injuries (SCIs)A plethora of research has found a strong positive correlation between depression and physical disabilities, lending support to the idea that biological factors are closely tied to mental health and illness (Townend, Tinson, Kwan, & Sharpe, 2010). While depression can affect anyone, some populations have been shown to be more susceptible to the disorder. Research has suggested that individuals with disabilities are up to four times more likely to have a major depressive episode than people without a disability (Turner & McLean, 1989). In particular, it has been found that individuals with SCIs have a high prevalence of depression (Fann et al., 2011). SCIs typically cause the individual varying 512210R CBXXX10.1177/0034355213512210Rehabilitation Counseling BulletinO'Shea and Smedema research-article2013

Depression, Social Support, and Coping Strategies in Individuals with Spinal Injury Depression with Spinal Injury Patients

“…Concerning factors related to depression, social support, and coping strategies among individuals with spinal injury after hospitalization, our multivariate analysis revealed severity of disability, the guidance provision, the fighting spirit strategy, and the social reliance strategy to be independently associated with depression. These findings are consistent with those of previous studies that found severity of disability 23 , social support 24,25,26 , and coping strategies 11,17 to be factors that significantly influenced depression among individuals with spinal injury. Khazaeipour, et al 23 found a high likelihood of the development of depression among individuals with paraplegia.…”

“…Concerning social support, previous studies found a greater amount of social support to be associated with a lower depression score. 26,25 Social support that emphasizes problem management may influence a reduction in depression during the patient's adjustment to each stage of physical impairment -especially social support provided by professionals and families because these types of support positively influence SCI patient well-being. 26 Concerning coping strategies, studies from Sweden 11 and Turkey 17 found that effective coping strategies associated with lower depression scores.…”

“…26,25 Social support that emphasizes problem management may influence a reduction in depression during the patient's adjustment to each stage of physical impairment -especially social support provided by professionals and families because these types of support positively influence SCI patient well-being. 26 Concerning coping strategies, studies from Sweden 11 and Turkey 17 found that effective coping strategies associated with lower depression scores. This is consistent with the current study which found that the fighting spirit strategy, theeffective coping strategy, was significantly associated with individuals with spinal injury with depression.…”

Forgiveness and wellbeing after spinal cord injury: Perceived stress and adaptation to disability as mediators.

“…In addition to finding connections between forgiveness and stress, research has found perceived stress to be associated with wellbeing outcomes such as life satisfaction (Rey & Extremera, 2015), psychological wellbeing (He et al, 2018), and perceived physical health (Homan & Sirois, 2017). Specific to people with SCI, catastrophizing and stress are both positively related to depressive symptoms (O’Shea et al, 2014) and perceived stress is negatively related to perceived quality of life (Smedema et al, 2010). Numerous studies have also found stress to be negatively related to life satisfaction in people with SCI (Kraft & Dorstyn, 2015; Migliorini et al, 2008).…”

Systematic Review of Psychosocial Interventions for People With Spinal Cord Injury During Inpatient Rehabilitation: Implications for Evidence‐Based Practice

“…Spinal cord injury (SCI) is an extraordinarily challenging event for sufferers who often develop different levels of physical loss, psychological difficulties, and social limitations. Bio‐psychosocial models of SCI emphasize dynamic interactions between physical, psychological, and social factors, which highlight the importance of and a need for psychosocial interventions during the rehabilitation process (O'Shea & Smedema, ). Many health systems globally put much emphasis and effort in these patients’ medical rehabilitation, with comprehensive medical treatment programs addressing their physical complications, exercise and mobility, and daily functioning (Middleton, Perry, & Craig, ).…”