TY - JOUR
T1 - Resilience and mental health in individuals with spinal cord injury during the COVID-19 pandemic
AU - Mikolajczyk, Brian M
AU - Draganich, Christina
AU - Philippus, Angela
AU - Goldstein, Richard
AU - Erin Andrews, Andrews
AU - Pilarski, Carrie
AU - Wudlick, Robert
AU - Morse, Leslie R.
AU - Monden, Kimberley R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International Spinal Cord Society.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - Study design: Cross-sectional, observational study. Objectives: To understand how resilience, access to personal care attendants (PCAs) and medical supplies, and concerns about medical rationing, finances, and social isolation are related to overall and mental health in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Setting: Community dwelling adults (N = 187) with SCI. Methods: Data were collected online between May 1, 2020 and August 31, 2020. Outcomes were overall and mental health, depression and anxiety symptoms, and quality of life (QoL). Predictors were resilience, access to PCAs and medical supplies, and concerns about medical rationing, finances, and social isolation. Results: Incomplete injury, concern about medical rationing, medical supply disruption, and social isolation predicted a greater perceived impact of the pandemic on overall heath. Younger age, decreased resilience, and concern about medical rationing and social isolation predicted greater perceived impact of the pandemic on mental health. Decreased resilience and concern about medical rationing and finances predicted increased anxiety symptoms. Incomplete injury, believing that medical rationing was occurring, decreased resilience, and concern about finances and social isolation predicted increased depressive symptoms. Decreased resilience and concern about finances, medical rationing, and social isolation predicted lower QoL. Conclusions: The negative effects of the pandemic on the overall and mental health of individuals with SCI may be ameliorated by resilience. In future crises, it may be beneficial to screen individuals for resilience so that those with decreased resilience are offered the appropriate resources to enhance resilience and improve overall wellbeing.
AB - Study design: Cross-sectional, observational study. Objectives: To understand how resilience, access to personal care attendants (PCAs) and medical supplies, and concerns about medical rationing, finances, and social isolation are related to overall and mental health in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Setting: Community dwelling adults (N = 187) with SCI. Methods: Data were collected online between May 1, 2020 and August 31, 2020. Outcomes were overall and mental health, depression and anxiety symptoms, and quality of life (QoL). Predictors were resilience, access to PCAs and medical supplies, and concerns about medical rationing, finances, and social isolation. Results: Incomplete injury, concern about medical rationing, medical supply disruption, and social isolation predicted a greater perceived impact of the pandemic on overall heath. Younger age, decreased resilience, and concern about medical rationing and social isolation predicted greater perceived impact of the pandemic on mental health. Decreased resilience and concern about medical rationing and finances predicted increased anxiety symptoms. Incomplete injury, believing that medical rationing was occurring, decreased resilience, and concern about finances and social isolation predicted increased depressive symptoms. Decreased resilience and concern about finances, medical rationing, and social isolation predicted lower QoL. Conclusions: The negative effects of the pandemic on the overall and mental health of individuals with SCI may be ameliorated by resilience. In future crises, it may be beneficial to screen individuals for resilience so that those with decreased resilience are offered the appropriate resources to enhance resilience and improve overall wellbeing.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85115422122&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85115422122&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41393-021-00708-3
DO - 10.1038/s41393-021-00708-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 34556819
AN - SCOPUS:85115422122
SN - 1362-4393
VL - 59
SP - 1261
EP - 1267
JO - Spinal Cord
JF - Spinal Cord
IS - 12
ER -
