PREDICTORS OF PSYCHOLOGIC DISTRESS ONE-YEAR AFTER SPINAL-CORD INJURY

This study investigated predictors of psychologic distress at 1 year after injury. The brief symptom inventory, a symptom checklist that provides an overall index of distress, was administered to 119 spinal cord-injured patients. All patients had diagnoses of recent, traumatic SCI and had been admitted for initial inpatient rehabilitation between 1985 and 1990. Results showed levels of psychologic distress to be significantly higher 1 year after injury when compared with results obtained on admission and at discharge from the inpatient rehabilitation program. The prevalence rate for elevated distress after injury was 28%. Significant predictors of psychologic distress 1 year after injury included level of distress at admission, neurologic completeness of SCI, type of rehabilitation insurance payor (catastrophic v noncatastrophic), occupational status before SCI and participation status in an inpatient independent living program. A multiple regression model with nine independent variables was specified that explained 63% of the variance in psychologic distress measured after injury.