Mind and body: Mental health and health related quality of life in SCI caregivers from Neiva, Colombia.

BACKGROUND: Despite the body of research on caregivers of individuals with various types of disabilities, SCI caregivers have received comparably less attention, especially in regions like Latin America. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between HRQOL and mental health in SCI caregivers from Colombia. METHOD: A cross sectional study assessed SCI caregivers (n = 40) in Neiva, Colombia. Participants completed a measure of their HRQOL (SF-36 Health Questionnaire) and four measures of mental health (Satisfaction With Life Scale, Zarit Burden Interview, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). RESULTS: A canonical correlation between variables revealed that 64% of the variance was shared between mental health and HRQOL. The domains that loaded highest within the canonical correlation were social functioning, general health, and anxiety, indicating that SCI caregivers with higher anxiety experienced lower social functioning and lower general health. Furthermore, 15 of the 24 bivariate correlations between mental health and HRQOL were statistically significant, suggesting a strong connection between these two sets of variables. CONCLUSION: Rehabilitation professionals in Latin America should consider the development of caregiver interventions focusing on both physical and mental health, as the two constructs are closely connected through social functioning, general health, and anxiety.

The relationship between physical and mental health variables in individuals with spinal cord injury from Latin America.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has examined the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and mental health of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), but the majority of the research has taken place in the United States, Western Europe, and other developed countries. Limited research has been conducted with persons with SCI in Latin America. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between HRQOL and mental health in persons with SCI from Neiva, Colombia. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Participants were recruited from the Foundation for the Integral Development of People with Disabilities, a nonprofit community organization for persons with disabilities. PARTICIPANTS: Forty persons with SCI from Neiva, Colombia. METHODS: Caregivers completed the Spanish versions of questionnaires. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants completed self-report measures of HRQOL (SF-36 Health Questionnaire) and mental health (Satisfaction with Life Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and State Trait Anxiety Inventory). RESULTS: The hypothesis that higher HRQOL would be related to better mental health found robust support, as the canonical correlation between these 2 sets of variables uncovered that 50.4% of the variance was shared, such that persons with lower HRQOL had reduced mental health. Within this canonical correlation, anxiety, fatigue, and general health loaded most highly, suggesting that persons with SCI who experienced lower energy and reduced general health tended to have high anxiety. Additionally, 9 out of the 18 bivariate correlations between these 2 variable sets were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In Latin America, SCI rehabilitation services are extremely sparse and rarely include interventions that target postinjury mental health. The current study suggests that mental health issues in patients with reduced HRQOL warrant attention in SCI rehabilitation services, especially in this region.

Comparison of mental health between individuals with spinal cord injury and able-bodied controls in Neiva, Colombia.

Although research has investigated the mental health of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), an overwhelming majority of this research has been conducted in the United States, Western Europe, and other developed countries. The purpose of this study was to compare the mental health of individuals with SCI with able-bodied controls in Neiva, Colombia, South America. Subjects included 40 Colombians with SCI and 42 age- and sex-matched controls (N = 82). The groups did not differ based on age, sex, years of education, or socioeconomic status. However, controls were twice as likely to be married. Four measures assessed mental health, including satisfaction with life (Satisfaction with Life Scale), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), and anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). In comparison with able-bodied controls, individuals with SCI reported significantly lower mental health on both depressive symptoms and satisfaction with life. These effect sizes were medium and large, respectively. The groups did not differ significantly on measures of self-esteem or anxiety. Mental health of individuals with SCI should be considered a central part of SCI rehabilitation interventions, particularly in Latin America.

Examining the relationship between health-related quality of life in individuals with spinal cord injury and the mental health of their caregivers in Colombia, South America.

Although considerable research has been carried out on family caregivers of individuals with various types of disabilities, spinal cord injury (SCI) caregivers have received considerably less attention in terms of research, especially in regions such as Latin America. This study examined the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in individuals with SCI and their family caregiver's mental health in Neiva, Colombia. Thirty-four individuals with SCI and their primary caregivers (34 dyads; n=68) from the Foundation for the Integral Development of People with Disabilities in Neiva, Colombia, were included in this study. Individuals with SCI completed eight subscales of the SF-36 that assessed HRQOL. Five aspects of caregiver mental health were assessed, including burden (Zarit Burden Interview), satisfaction with life (Satisfaction with Life Scale), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), and anxiety (State Trait Anxiety Inventory). A series of multiple regressions uncovered strong associations among the HRQOL of individuals with SCI and various aspects of caregiver mental health. In these regressions, patient physical functioning and pain were independently related to caregiver burden; patient pain and general health were independently related to caregiver satisfaction with life; and patient pain was independently related to caregiver anxiety. HRQOL in individuals with SCI was robustly related to their caregiver's mental health, suggesting that the two sets of variables are closely linked. These findings suggest that caregiver mental health should be a central part of SCI rehabilitation interventions, especially in Latin America.