Improving the long-term adjustment of spinal cord injured persons

Study Design: The study involved the long-term assessment of persons with s pinal cord injury (SCI) who previously participated in a nonrandomized long itudinal controlled trial. Objectives: The objective was to report on the effectiveness of early psych ological intervention in improving some aspects of adjustment to SCI 2 year s post injury. Setting: The study was conducted in Sydney, Australia. Methods: Twenty-eight SCI persons who had participated in group Cognitive B ehaviour Therapy (CBT) during hospital rehabilitation were assessed for dru g usage, hospital readmissions, relationships, perceived adjustment and soc ial discrimination 2 years after treatment. The intervention group's respon ses on the measures were compared with a control group of 31 SCI persons wh o only received traditional rehabilitation services during their hospitaliz ation. Results: Subjects in the treatment group experienced less hospital re-admis sions, used less drugs and reported higher levels of adjustment compared to the control group. Relationships were stable for both groups and there wer e no suicides in either group up to 2 years. There were no differences in p erceived social discrimination between the two groups. Conclusion: The study suggests the long-term adjustment for SCI persons is encouraging for the majority. However, the provision of group CBT for SCI p ersons appears to improve significantly some aspects of adjustment to the i njury in the long-term.