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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
James S. Krause, PhD and Lynne E. Broderick, BS. Crawford Research Institute, Shepherd Center, 2020 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA 30309, 404-352-2677, jskrause@mindspring.com
Several behavioral factors have been associated with the onset of spinal cord injury (SCI), particularly impulsivity and risk taking. However, despite the body of research implicating selective behavioral factors in SCI onset and the stability of these behaviors over time, surprisingly little research has documented the incidence of risk factors for subsequent injuries in the years and decades after SCI onset. It is reasonable to expect that the same pattern of behaviors that led to the injury would increase the risk for events leading to further injury, particularly since these behavioral patterns are stable over time. The purpose of this study was to identify the incidence of subsequent injuries among people with SCI and to identify behavioral and psychological risk factors of subsequent injuries and injury-related hospitalizations among individuals with preexisting SCI. A general health assessment survey was conducted with 1,328 individuals with SCI from a rehabilitation hospital in the Southeastern USA. Participants reported injuries that were severe enough to require treatment in a clinic, emergency department, or hospital over the past year and since SCI onset. Nineteen percent of the participants reported at least one injury within the past year. Of those whose SCI occurred more than 25 years earlier, 45% reported 3 or more injuries since SCI onset and 32% reported 3 or more injury related hospitalizations since SCI onset. Injuries were associated with sensation seeking and aggression-hostility, CAGE scores, heavy drinking, and prescription medication use for pain, spasticity, depression and sleep. Further study is needed in order to design prevention programs that target risk behaviors.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.