The effectiveness of cognitive-behaviour therapy in improving psychological adjustment to spinal cord injury : a review of the literature

• Main Author: Abdinor, Nicolette Jeanne
• Other Authors: Nortje, Charl
• Format: Others
• Language: en_ZA
• Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2012
• Subjects: Cognitive therapy; Spinal cord > Wounds and injuries > Patients > Rehabilitation; Dissertations > Psychology; Theses > Psychology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/50140

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The traumatic nature of spinal cord injury (SCI) imposes major and permanent life changes that necessitate physical, social and vocational adjustments for the individual, as well as placing strain on the family. The importance of psychological aspects of adjustment and rehabilitation has progressively become recognised as an integral part of facilitating a higher quality of life for individuals and their families living with SCI. While it has been established that psychological disturbance is not an inevitable long-term consequence of SCI, researchers have found that a proportion of this population has marked difficulty adapting psychologically to their new lifestyle and the challenges it poses. It has been found that the SCI population has an increased risk for divorce, substance abuse, self-neglect and suicide. In the mid-1990's, researchers involved in SCI rehabilitation started developing cognitivebehaviour therapy (CBT) interventions to assist individuals with their psychological adjustment to the traumatic injury. Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) cognitive theory of stress and coping has been the theoretical grounding for some of these interventions. The primary objective of this literature review is to ascertain the effectiveness of CBT in assisting individuals with their psychological adjustment to SCI and to make recommendations for future research in this area. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die traumatiese aard van 'n spinale koord besering (SKB) veroorsaak 'n beduidende en permanente lewensverandering, wat fisieke-, sosiale- en werksaanpassing vir die individu verg, asook spanning op die familie plaas. Die belangrikheid van sielkundige aspekte rakende aanpassing en rehabilitasie word toenemend herken as 'n integrale deel in die fasilitering van 'n hoër kwaliteit van lewe vir die individue en hulle families wat lewe met 'n SKB. Alhoewel daar gevind is dat sielkundige versteuring nie 'n noodwendige langtermyn gevolg van 'n SKB is nie, het navorsers wel gevind dat 'n gedeelte van die populasie beduidende sielkundige aanpassingsprobleme ervaar ten opsigte van hul nuwe lewenstyl en uitdagings. Daar is gevind dat die SKB populasie 'n verhoogde risiko loop vir egskeidings, substansmisbruik, self-verwaarlosing en selfmoord. In die middel van die 1990's, het SKB- en rehabilitasie-navorsers kognitiewe-gedragsterapie (KGT) intervensies ontwikkelom individue te help met sielkundige aanpassing na 'n SKB. Lazarus en Folkman's (1984) se kognitiewe teorie oor stres en streshantering, het die teoretiese grondslag gevorm vir sommige van hierdie intervensies. Die primêre doel van hierdie literatuuroorsig is om die effektiwiteit van KGT te bepaal in die ondersteuning van individue met sielkundige aanpassing na SKB, en om voorstelle te maak oor toekomstige navorsing wat met hierdie onderwerp verband hou.