Evaluation of post traumatic distress in the first 6 months following SCI

Study design: Cross-sectional questionnaire. Objectives: To assess the degree of post traumatic stress symptomatology an d its correlates amongst a group of new spinal cord injured patients. Setting: The National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital NHS Trust. Method: Eighty-five participants with an average age of 32.6 years were ass essed between 6 and 24 weeks post injury. Seventeen participants were femal e. Seventy per cent had complete lesions. Forty per cent had paraplegia and 60% had tetraplegia. Road traffic accidents were the most common cause of injury followed by falls and then sporting accidents. The Impact of Event S cale was used to measure the experience of intrusive thoughts about the tra uma and avoidance of trauma related stimuli. Anxiety (SAI), depression (BDI ) and dependency (FIM) were also measured. Results: High levels of distress were evident in 14% of the sample. Trauma- related distress was significantly higher in female patients or patients wi th high levels of anxiety or depression. Conclusion: In this sample, the rates of trauma-related distress following spinal cord injury were comparable to those found following other traumas a nd are of clinical significance.