Ar. Craig et al., THE INFLUENCE OF SPINAL-CORD INJURY ON COPING STYLES AND SELF-PERCEPTIONS 2 YEARS AFTER THE INJURY, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 28(2), 1994, pp. 307-312
This study is a two year follow-up of previous longitudinal research w
hich investigated the effects of spinal cord injury (SCI) on perceptio
ns of control, self-esteem and coping styles over the first year of SC
I. Persons with SCI and a demographically matched able-bodied control
group completed standardised questionnaires on four occasions over two
years. The instruments included the Locus of Control of Behaviour Sca
le (LCB), Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale, and an adapted Mental Adjustm
ent to Cancer Scale (MAC), which measures coping styles, including fig
hting spirit, helplessness/hopelessness and fatalism. Results obtained
in the first year were replicated in the two year data, except for th
e LCB Scale. After one year, the SCI group were found to perceive thei
r life to be externally controlled, to be lower in self-esteem, and ha
ve more helpless/hopeless and fatalistic attitudes than the controls.
There were no differences in self esteem and coping styles after two y
ears for the SCI group. However, locus of control fluctuated over the
two years, though there was a trend for the SCI group to be more exter
nally focussed. There were no significant interactions between group a
nd time. Implications for the adjustment of SCI persons are discussed.