Article

OBJECTIVE: To date, no research has been published on the health related quality
of life (HRQOL) and mental health of children with spinal cord injury and
disorders (SCI/D) in Latin America, although limited previous research in Western
countries has demonstrated the debilitating and chronic nature of these
conditions in children. The aim was to examine the connections between HRQOL and
mental health in children with SCI/D from Neiva, Colombia.
STUDY DESIGN: Thirty
children (8- 17 years) were recruited from the Hospital Universatario Hernando
Mocaleano Perdomo in Neiva, Colombia. Participants completed self-report measures
administered verbally by trained research staff.
RESULTS: A correlation matrix
generally suggested that higher HRQOL was robustly associated with better mental
health. A series of multiple regressions found that HRQOL explained 50.5% of the
variance in children's depression, 31.5% of the variance in worry, and 41.9% of
the variance in social anxiety. Within these regressions, emotional and social
functioning were uniquely associated with depression, and emotional functioning
was uniquely associated with social anxiety.
CONCLUSION: This is the first
published study to examine psychosocial outcomes in children with SCI/D in Latin
America, and its findings suggest that future research and interventions for
children with SCI/D in Colombia - and possibly in other regions of Latin America
- would benefit from emphasizing emotional and social functioning.

Langue : ANGLAIS