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 and 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 assessed between 6 and 24 weeks post injury. Seventeen participants were female. 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 Scale was used to measure the experience of intrusive thoughts about the trauma 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 with 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 and are of clinical significance.