Individual and family responses to acute spinal cord injury.

This article discusses individual and family responses to acute spinal cord injury from both research and clinical practice perspectives. Investigations concerning individuals' physical reactions, psychologic adjustment, and occurrence of depression are reviewed. Research studies on the demographics of and adjustment and role changes within families of patients with spinal cord injuries are critiqued. Suggestions and guidance emerging from these studies are discussed and applied to clinical practice. Clinical practice perspectives are further developed in a discussion of the needs and resources of these patients and their families. Grief, powerlessness, positive manipulation, and quality-of-life issues are also explored.