Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.
Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil. 2022 Spring;28(2):185-195. doi: 10.46292/sci21-00060. Epub 2022 Apr 12.
Emerging evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by increased rates of depression and social isolation. However, we do not yet understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the psychosocial health of people with spinal cord injury (PwSCI), a population that is already at risk of experiencing mental health conditions.
The aims of the study were to (1) examine the impact of the pandemic on the psychosocial health of PwSCI and (2) investigate the experiences of PwSCI and resources they reported needing during the peak of the pandemic.
A cross-sectional survey with closed- and open-ended questions was administered to 51 PwSCI. Participants were included if they had an SCI, were 18 years or older, lived in St. Louis, Missouri, and surrounding areas, and understood English.
Canonical correlation showed a significant association between financial security, food insecurity, and personal assistance service use and adverse psychosocial health outcomes ( < .001). Participants reported interest in resources related to COVID-19 precautions for wheelchair users as well as home exercise programming and financial assistance with utilities. Finally, qualitative analysis revealed four major themes: (1) mental health during the pandemic, (2) financial concerns and reduced access to personal assistance services, (3) feelings of social isolation prior to the pandemic, and (4) local and national authorities' handling of the pandemic.
PwSCI are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and reported a variety of resource needs. These findings may inform service providers, support systems, and organizations to better support PwSCI during times of crisis.
新出现的证据表明，COVID-19 大流行伴随着抑郁症和社会隔离率的上升。然而，我们还不清楚 COVID-19 大流行如何影响脊髓损伤患者（PwSCI）的心理健康，因为他们已经面临心理健康问题的风险。
本研究的目的是（1）研究大流行对 PwSCI 心理健康的影响，以及（2）调查 PwSCI 的经历以及他们在大流行高峰期报告需要的资源。
对 51 名 PwSCI 进行了横断面调查，其中包括封闭和开放式问题。参与者包括有脊髓损伤、年龄在 18 岁或以上、居住在密苏里州圣路易斯及其周边地区且能理解英语的人。
典型相关分析显示，财务安全、食品不安全和个人辅助服务使用与不良心理社会健康结果之间存在显著关联（<0.001）。参与者报告对与 COVID-19 预防措施有关的轮椅使用者资源、家庭锻炼计划和水电费的经济援助感兴趣。最后，定性分析揭示了四个主要主题：（1）大流行期间的心理健康，（2）财务问题和个人辅助服务的减少，（3）大流行前的社会孤立感，（4）地方和国家当局对大流行的处理。
PwSCI 受到 COVID-19 大流行的影响，并报告了各种资源需求。这些发现可以为服务提供者、支持系统和组织提供信息，以便在危机时期更好地支持 PwSCI。
