Pilot evaluation of a coping-oriented supportive program for people with spinal cord injury during inpatient rehabilitation

Methods: This was a pilot test of the COSP using a convenience sample of 22 participants with SCI (11 participants per group) with pre- and post-test, comparison group design. The feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the COSP were examined. Results: Nine patients with SCI in the intervention group and 11 in the comparison group who completed five or more sessions of the intervention were included in the data analysis. The COSP was feasible with high levels of recruitment, retention and protocol adherence. Good acceptability was suggested by the participants’ feedback on the intervention program. The intervention group had a statistically significant greater improvement in self-efficacy (z = –1.978, p = 0.048), life enjoyment and satisfaction (z = –2.801, p = 0.005), and satisfaction of social support (z = –2.298, p = 0.022) at post-test, when compared to the comparison group. Whereas, no significant improvement was found for coping. Conclusions: Our findings support the feasibility and acceptability of the COSP, and suggest that this intervention is a promising psychosocial care program to enhance people’s life satisfaction and well-being as well as the satisfaction of social support after SCI. Further testing of this program with a larger-sized and diverse sample of people with SCI is needed.Implications for RehabilitationThe Chinese culturally-sensitive psychosocial care program (coping-oriented supportive program) is feasible, and has the potential to enhance people’s self-efficacy in coping with spinal cord injury, and improve their psychosocial well-being and life satisfaction.The conventional inpatient spinal cord injury rehabilitation services could be improved by providing this “first-line” psychosocial care program in line with the current medical rehabilitation service.