Article

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether grief is a psychometrically sound construct that is
distinct from depression in individuals who have recently sustained a spinal cord
injury (SCI). DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Inpatient rehabilitation
units at 3 geographically diverse, university-affiliated medical centers.
PARTICIPANTS: Patients with SCI (N=206) were recruited (163 men [79.1%]). Most
patients were non-Hispanic whites (n=175 [85.0%]).
Most patients sustained a
cervical SCI (n=134 [64.4%]). Various injury etiologies were represented, with
the majority being accounted for by falls (n=72 [31.5%]) and vehicle-related
accidents (n=69 [33.5%]). The mean time since injury was 53.5+/-40.5 days.
INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: An adapted version of the
12-item structured clinical interview for Prolonged Grief Disorder was used to
assess symptoms of grief, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to
measure depression. Demographic and injury-related data were also collected.
RESULTS: A principal component analysis (with direct oblimin rotation) of the
grief measure suggested a 2-component solution. The content of items loading on
the separate components suggested 2 subscales: loss (6 items; Cronbach
alpha=.810) and trauma (6 items; Cronbach alpha=.823). Follow-up principal
component analyses including both grief and depression measures suggested clear
differentiation of grief-related loss from depression. The prevalence of
clinically significant levels of grief was low (6%), and levels of depression
were consistent with previous findings related to inpatient rehabilitation
(23.5%). CONCLUSIONS:
The items used to assess grief symptoms in patients
participating in inpatient rehabilitation for recently sustained SCI appear to
capture a psychometrically reliable construct that is distinct from that of
depression. Research is needed on the predictive validity of early grief symptoms
after SCI and the relation of grief to other psychological constructs over time.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS