SCI Psychosocial Process Volume 19, Number 2

Feature Article: Differences in Satisfaction with Life and Health-Related Quality of Life between Minority and Caucasian Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

Sonya R. Miller, MD; Reece O. Rahman, PhD; Pamela Dixon, PhD; Martin Forchheimer, MMP; Denise G. Tate, PhD; and Tanya Yacynych

Abstract
Objective: To analyze differences in, and correlates of, global quality of life (QOL) and health related QOL (HRQOL) between minority and Caucasian individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) as measured by the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Medical Outcome Study Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12).
Design: Retrospective, correlational/predictive study using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the National Model Spinal Cord Injury System Centers.
Results: Minorities endorsed lower satisfaction with life and health-related QOL as compared to Caucasians. Caucasians with more than a high school diploma reported greater physical HRQOL than minorities with similar education.
Conclusion: The influence of race seems to diminish in importance when considered within the context of other variables such as time since injury and societal participation. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that while QOL variables are lower for minorities compared to Caucasians, similar factors influence QOL for both minorities and Caucasians. Read the rest of this entry »

Feature Article: Psychological Treatments for Pain and Depression After Spinal Cord Injury: Rationale and Challenges to Implementation

Phil Ullrich, PhD; Marylou Guihan, PhD; and Frances M. Weaver, PhD

Abstract
     Pain and depression are common conditions among persons with SCI so it is surprising that very little is known regarding best practices for treating these conditions in this population. Various psychological treatment modalities have been shown to be efficacious for treating pain and depression among other populations and are currently the focus of ongoing controlled clinical trials among persons with SCI. Of equal concern to clinicians and researchers should be how to effectively implement evidence-based treatments in real-world settings. Strategies for overcoming implementation barriers are discussed. Read the rest of this entry »

Feature Article: Advance Care Planning Made Specific for the Individual with SCI/D

Phillip M. Kleespies, PhD; and Stacey C. Conroy, MSW

     The goal of this article is to describe a process-oriented approach to advance care planning and the development of an advance care planning workbook based on that approach for individuals with spinal cord injury or dysfunction (SCI/D). Some of the difficulties that have arisen with advance care planning in general are discussed, providing a background for employing a process-oriented approach and for the development of the workbook. Next, the rationale for making an SCI-specific workbook and the process of developing it are presented. Finally, the workbook itself is described, and the results of a quality improvement/satisfaction survey are reported. Read the rest of this entry »

President’s Message: Terrie Price, PhD, ABPP

Dear Colleagues;
     Happy New Year and very best wishes for a peaceful and productive 2007! This is my first opportunity to reflect on our 2006 SCI Conference in Las Vegas, celebrating our 20th anniversary. A summary of your comments indicates that the programs were very well received. The AASCIPSW Program Committee is already actively involved in planning for our next gathering, known as the 2007 North American Spinal Cord Injury Conference and Disability Expo at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, August 27–29. Many of you provided wonderful suggestions and recommendations for speakers, topics and considerations to strengthen our meeting and preliminary information about the Gaylord Palms suggests that we will find ourselves in a comfortable and welcoming facility. Read the rest of this entry »

News Briefs: Microtel Wins J. D. Power Award; Medicare Reimbursement Controversy; Vibration Therapy

Irmo Marini, PhD


J.D. Power Award to Microtel for Access Initiatives
     Microtel Inns & Suites has raised the bar on accessibility at public accommodations and consistently won the J.D. Power and Associates Award for providing the best service and facilities in an economy budget motel. Microtel Inns & Suites CEO Michael Leven had spent 45 years in the hotel industry with other chains such as Holiday Inn and Days Inn, always attempting to implement accessibility standards long before such standards became mandatory. Roy Flora, vice president of franchise operations, described how Leven has always been sensitive to issues affecting the underdog. He said that when Leven was president of Days Inn, he hired seniors and people with disabilities to fill many positions, and also developed a program within the hotel industry for Asians who faced discrimination. Read the rest of this entry »

Practice Resources: Home Accessibility Resources

Todd Mayer, LCSW

     As a clinical social worker on a spinal cord injury rehabilitation unit, I repeatedly hear the same questions from newly injured patients: Who will provide care for me? What will my income now consist of? How is my home going to meet my accessibility needs? In past articles, I have provided some education on financial and caregiving resources. For this issue I have done some research on home accessibility resources.
     I remember as a child helping my grandmother open her heavy garage door. She would comment to me about how garage door openers were for rich people and that you only saw them on television. Times have changed; now every home in America has a garage door opener. They are easy to install and are very affordable. I went into my research for this article believing that things like elevators and stair lifts were only for the wealthy. I learned that these devices are not only affordable, but not very difficult for the experienced contractor to install, particularly during new construction. Parts of my investigation lead me to meet with Casey P. Dyon, Senior Operations Manager for Access Solutions Center and Nationwide Lifts (www.nwlifts.com). Mr. Dyon has been in the business for over six years and has assisted a number of persons with spinal cord injury with home accessibility issues. Read the rest of this entry »

Commentary: Psychological Influences on the Use of Assistive Technology: A Need for Research

Samuel T. Gontkovsky, PsyD; and Rochelle Busby, BS

     In its broadest sense, assistive technology (AT) refers to a range of devices, services, strategies, and practices conceived and applied to ameliorate the difficulties confronted by persons with disabilities (Cook & Hussey, 2002). More narrowly, AT may be thought of as equipment utilized for the purpose of increasing the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Such equipment may augment an individual’s abilities, as in the case of a brace used to assist a person with ambulation, or a replace lost capabilities, as in the case of an electric wheelchair to enable mobility. AT may help people with disabilities perform basic activities of daily living, such as eating and grooming, or may allow individuals to successfully integrate back into more complex tasks, such as driving, working, and attending school. Read the rest of this entry »

Person Profile: J. Scott Richards, PhD

Lauri Yablick, PhD

     “Scott Richards typed his dissertation by a river,” Kris Hagglund told me. “If I remember correctly, he took an old Volkswagen camping van and spent his days alternately fly fishing and writing.” Hagglund suggested I confirm this with Richards, but threatening a perfectly good psychological truth with the possibility of a few nonconforming facts seemed unforgivably reckless. The truth is that Richards has balanced work, family and his other passions so skillfully that it could be the subject of folklore, and a little mystery is good for all of us.
     Richards’ professional accomplishments and contributions have been highly visible in AASCIPSW. He has been active on the Research Committee for well over a decade, received our Essie Morgan Excellence Award, spent many years on the Board of Directors––including terms as vice president and president––and participated in the Outcomes Task Force. Read the rest of this entry »

Selected Abstracts from the 2006 SCI Conference

Support Group and Individual Psychotherapy Equally Effective in Reducing Depression During Rehabilition
Jennifer Duchnick, PhD; Sarah Asmussen, MS; and Nancy Cuevas-Soto, MSN, RN
Objectives:

Introduction: Depression is often observed in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients and depressive disorders may complicate the individual with SCI’s health, activities of daily living, and interpersonal relationships. Providing psychotherapy is believed to be clinically indicated, but research supporting the effectiveness of individual or group therapeutic interventions for SCI patients is limited. Group interventions have resulted in reductions in depression, higher levels of adjustment, fewer hospital re-admissions, and reduced use of drugs when compared to SCI control groups without psychological treatment. Supportive therapy groups have been associated with positive changes in depression, quality of life, and self esteem in other medical populations and individual therapy is also a widely supported treatment for depressive symptoms. No known studies, however, have compared the effectiveness of individual and group therapy to identify a preferred method of treatment for depressive symptoms in SCI patients. Read the rest of this entry »