Abstract
Study Design: Survey. Objective: To assess the association between patients' perceptions of responsibility for the injury and long term outcomes. Setting: Duke University Medical Center Spinal Injury Service. Methods: One hundred and forty patients, who suffered spinal cord injuries between 1985 and 1990, were selected to participate in the study, and 26 (19%), including eight with quadriplegia, completed a telephone interview. The mean age at interview was 39±12 years and 12% were women. The mean time from injury to completion of the study was 8.7±1.5 years. Attribution of cause of injury, the Craig Handicap Assessment Reporting Technique, and the SF36 mental health depression/vitality surveyed instruments attribution of responsibility for the injury, functional capacity, mental health depression, and vitality. Results: The majority (18/26) of patients either totally blamed themselves or others for their injuries. Overall, there was no statistically significant association between attribution of injury and long-term outcomes. Outcomes were similar in patients who either totally blamed themselves or others for their predicament. Conclusion: In this study, long-term outcomes were not influenced by whether patients perceived themselves as being responsible for their injuries.
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Brown, K., Bell, M., Maynard, C. et al. Attribution of responsibility for injury and long-term outcome of patients with paralytic spinal cord trauma. Spinal Cord 37, 653–657 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.sc.3100895
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.sc.3100895
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