Resilience and mental health in individuals with spinal cord injury during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

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.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals living with spinal cord injury: A qualitative study.

“…Our findings are similar to other research, including a study showing that individuals with SCI reported that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on their mental and social health, in particular that their feelings of social isolation increased (Monden et al, 2021). In another SCI cohort, feelings of social isolation were associated with a greater perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and overall health (Mikolajczyk et al, 2021). Our study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic triggered several emotions in veterans with SCI, such as worry, fear, doubt, lack of motivation, and feelings of social isolation.…”

“…Other survey studies (mostly online, one by telephone) reported that individuals with SCI experienced anxiety (Gustafson et al, 2021; Hearn et al, 2021; Vives Alvarado et al, 2021) and depression (García-Rudolph et al, 2021; Gustafson et al, 2021; Vives Alvarado et al, 2021) during the pandemic. In addition, individuals with SCI were at risk of feeling socially isolated in response to the pandemic (Hearn et al, 2021; Mikolajczyk et al, 2021; Monden et al, 2021).…”

The Impacts and Vulnerabilities for People Living with Spinal Cord Injury and Their Service Systems of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Queensland, Australia

“…In the psychosocial domain, lost access to personal supports such as family, personal networks, and formal support workers increased social isolation and complicated access to healthcare information [4-7, 13, 14]. Lower resilience and quality of life have also been reported, with increased depression and anxiety, particularly around accessing services [6,14,15].…”

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with spinal cord injury.

“…The findings from the small existing literature on the direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the at-risk and marginalized SCI population are cause for significant concern, indicating a pressing need for additional investigations on the adverse impacts of the pandemic and the potential risk and protective factors predicting those impacts. Many of the studies in the current literature include samples that are severely restricted in terms of sex (Vives Alvarado et al, 2022), race (Hearn et al, 2022; Mikolajczyk et al, 2021; Monden et al, 2021), and/or age (Matsuoka & Sumida, 2022). Studies with greater diversity in sample characteristics are needed to more thoroughly examine predictors of pandemic impacts.…”

“…The researchers reported a significant increase in symptoms of depression and a significant decrease in resilience and linked those changes to difficulties accessing healthcare resources and goods. In a relatively large survey of 187 people with SCI (Mikolajczyk et al, 2021), researchers reported that having an incomplete injury, concerns about medical rationing, disrupted medical supplies, and social isolation predicted a self-reported negative impact of the pandemic on overall health. Perceived mental health impacts were associated with younger age, medical rationing concerns, less resilience, and social isolation.…”