Social and psychological outcomes following a spinal cord injury (SCI): A pilot study

OBJECTIVES: to analyse the prevalence of depressive outcomes of patients soon after a traumatic Spinal Cord Injury and after the discharge and their relationships with other socio-demographic and outcome variables (quality of life, life satisfaction, etc.). METHODS: 30 patients with SCI discharged after their hospitalization at the Spinal Unit of the S.Bortolo Hospital (Vicenza, Italy) between 2005 and 2009 were contacted by a phone call and, after consent, interviewed. RESULTS: preliminary findings show that during the hospitalization all the patients experienced a depressive episode characterized by persecutory anxiety and anger mainly directed towards the medical staff. Moreover, higher levels of current depressive symptoms were found associated to a more negative perception of the quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: these preliminary findings seem to highlight the need of taking into account the psychological consequences of SCI immediately after the injury and in the following years in order to define integrated treatment (medical and psychological support) to improve the patient’s compliance and the overall quality of life and well-being.