Psychosocial outcomes among youth with spinal cord injury by neurological impairment.

Objective: Examine psychosocial outcomes of youth with spinal cord injury (SCI) as a function of neurological level (paraplegia/tetraplegia) and severity (American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS)).

Design: Survey research.

Setting: Three pediatric SCI specialty centers in the USA.

Evidence-based practice in primary prevention of spinal cord injury.

A spinal cord injury (SCI) not only causes paralysis, but also has long-term impact on physical and mental health. There are between 236,000 to 327,000 individuals living with the consequences of SCI in the United States, and the economic burden on the individuals sustaining the injury, their support network, and society as a whole is significant. The consequences of SCI require that health care professionals begin thinking about primary prevention.

Assessment and evaluation of primary prevention in spinal cord injury.

Although the incidence of spinal cord injury (SCI) is low, the consequences of this disabling condition are extremely significant for the individual, family, and the community. Sequelae occur in the physical, psychosocial, sexual, and financial arenas, making global prevention of SCI crucial. Understanding how to assess and evaluate primary prevention programs is an important competency for SCI professionals.

Coping and participation in youth with spinal cord injury.

Background: Coping and participation are important adjustment outcomes of youth with spinal cord injury (SCI). Research addressing how these outcomes are related is limited.

Objective: This cross-sectional study examined relationships between coping and participation in youth with SCI.

Participation and quality of life among youth with spinal cord injury.

Aim: Examine relationships between participation and quality of life (QOL) among youth with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Method: Youth ages 6-18 years with SCI completed the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment, which measures participation frequency (diversity/intensity) and context (with whom/where), and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, which measures emotional, social, school, and overall psychosocial QOL. Analyses were conducted separately for children (ages 6-12) and adolescents (ages 13-18) and included correlations and multiple regression.

Obstacles to community participation among youth with spinal cord injury.

Objective: Examine caregiver-report of obstacles to community participation for youth with spinal cord injury (SCI), and explore relationships between obstacles and child, caregiver, and community characteristics.

Design: Two hundred and one primary caregivers of youth with SCI ages 7-17 years were interviewed at three pediatric SCI centers within a single-hospital system. Caregivers answered an open-ended question assessing obstacles to youth participation.

Psychosocial outcomes among youth with spinal cord injury and their primary caregivers.

Background: Past research has found youth with disabilities to experience poor psychosocial outcomes, but little is known about factors related to psychosocial health among youth with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Objective: To describe psychosocial health among youth with SCI, examine relationships between psychosocial outcomes and demographic and injury-related factors, and examine relationships between aspects of psychosocial health. Youth activity, participation, quality of life (QOL), coping, anxiety and depression, and caregiver mental health were included.

Girls with spinal cord injury: social and job-related participation and psychosocial outcomes.

Objective: To examine social and job-related participation among girls with spinal cord injury (SCI) and relationships between participation, depression, and quality of life.

Participants And Setting: This sample included 97 girls (aged 7-17 years) who had sustained SCI at least 1 year prior to interview, and who were receiving care at three pediatric SCI centers within a single hospital system.

Measures: Participants completed the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment, Children's Depression Inventory, and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory.

Assessing patterns of participation and enjoyment in children with spinal cord injury.

Aim: To determine patterns of participation and levels of enjoyment in young people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) and to assess how informal and formal participation varies across child, injury-related, household, and community variables.

Method: One hundred and ninety-four participants (106 males, 88 females; mean age 13y 2mo, SD 3y 8mo, range 6-18y) with SCI and their primary caregivers completed a demographics questionnaire and a standardized measure of participation (the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment, [CAPE]) at three pediatric SCI centers in a single hospital system in the United States. Their mean age at injury was 7 years 2 months (SD 5y 8mo, range 0-17y); 71% had paraplegia, and 58% had complete injuries.

Anxiety and depression in children and adolescents with spinal cord injuries.

Aim To determine the levels of anxiety and depression in young people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) and their associated factors and outcomes. Method Children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years at interview who had sustained SCI at least 1 year before the study were assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory, the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment, and a demographic questionnaire designed for the study. Results The 118 participants (61 males, 57 females) had a mean age of 12 years 4 months, SD 3 y 1 mo, range 7-17 y.

The changing nature of play: implications for pediatric spinal cord injury.

Background: Perhaps no other demographic group in the history of the United States has undergone such a significant transformation in the past several decades as that of our children. Societal trends have dramatically altered the nature of play and the way children interact with their environment. These trends have included a significant decrease in outdoor recreation, an increased dependence on electronic media, and the conceptual emergence of "time poverty".

Unique issues in pediatric spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injuries are devastating events, and they are particularly tragic when they affect children or adolescents who have barely had an opportunity to experience life. Of the approximately 10,000 individuals who sustain spinal cord injury each year in the United States, 3% to 5% occur in individuals younger than 15 years of age and approximately 20% occur in those younger than 20 years of age (Nobunaga, Go, & Karunas, 1999). Because of the growth and development inherent in children and adolescents and the unique manifestations and complications associated with spinal cord injuries, management must be developmentally based and directed to the individual's special needs (Vogel, 1997).

Leisure characteristics of the pediatric spinal cord injury population.

Objective: Despite the fact that play is the foundation for growth and development, little empirical evidence exists about the leisure characteristics of the pediatric spinal cord injury (SCI) population. The purpose of this study is to establish such a basis through the examination of leisure interests, frequency of participation, and satisfaction with activity in children and adolescents with SCI.

Methods: A Questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions for 49 recreation activities was administered to a convenience sample of children and adolescents with SCI from Shriners Hospitals for Children, Chicago.