Depression & quality of life in spinal cord injury patients within one year after rehabilitation

Abstract

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects a person’s body and mind in major ways. challenges. The year following rehabilitation is especially significant because patients re-join their usual life. adjust to what they can or cannot do, integrate into their group and begin acknowledging their situation. Mental health Help given here is needed to promote faster recovery and a better life quality. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 266 SCI patients from the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP). The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and SF-36 Health Survey were used to assess both depression and HRQoL. Analyses were done using SPSS to find any relationships between different factors and the injury. Results: 40% of participants had mild depression and another 44% had symptoms that were moderate to severe. Patients tended to have fairly low HRQoL in all the SF-36 scales, but especially in those measuring physical and emotional health. Strong links were observed between how severe depression was and gender, what occupation was held, income, injury type and neurological level. Conclusion: The study notes that depression is common and quality of life is affected for most SCI patients soon after leaving rehabilitation. Adding mental health services to rehabilitation is important for solving these difficulties and bettering long-term results where resources are limited such as Bangladesh. Keywords: Spinal Cord Injury, Depression, Quality of Life, Rehabilitation