Characteristics of individuals seeking activity-based restorative therapy following spinal cord injury: A focus on hope.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of evidence regarding the psychosocial characteristics of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) undergoing activity-based restorative therapy (ABRT) treatment.

OBJECTIVES: This study seeks to describe the hopefulness of a sample of ABRT participants and describe the relationship between hopefulness and level of rehabilitation engagement.

METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional cohort study was conducted using a convenience sample of 73 individuals with SCI (mean time since injury = 66.6 months) seeking out-patient, post-acute rehabilitation at a metropolitan ABRT center. Outcome measures included a demographic survey, The Hope Scale, the Patient Health Questionare-9 and the Hopkins Rehabilitation Engagement Rating Scale.

RESULTS: The ABRT group reported higher levels of hope (M = 54.78, SD = 7.13) than have been reported in a sample of individuals with SCI seeking traditional rehabilitation in the acute (M = 24.58, SD = 4.06) setting. Rehabilitation engagement was not related to hopefulness in the ABRT group.

CONCLUSIONS: The ABRT group demonstrated high levels of hopefulness. The difference in hopefulness noted between this group and previous studies could be due to the time elapsed since injury, the presence of choice in the rehabilitation process, or the possibility that individuals who chose to participate in ABRT may have inherently different hopefulness characteristics than the broader SCI population.