World Physiotherapy Africa Region Conference System, 10th WCPT Africa Region Congress

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Socio-demographic and Personality Profile as Correlates of Motor Function During Early Stage Rehabilitation of Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury
Talhatu Kolapo Hamzat, Bolanle Morenike S. Tinubu

Last modified: 2014-01-20

Abstract


Purpose:  Non-clinical factors like personality and psychological profileof an individual, socio-cultural issues and personal beliefs (which may beshaped by where that person is from or lives), as well as rehabilitationsettings, may influence what predict discharge outcome after Spinal Cord Injury(SCI).  Association between Motor Function (MF) and each of selected sociodemographic and clinicalfactors (type, group and cause of cord injury), personalitytype and self-esteem was studied among Nigerian patients with SCI receiving in-patientcare at a tertiary health facility.Relevance: Earlier reports indicated thatpatients with traumatic SCI have a complex interplay of socio-demographic andinjury-related factors that can impact on discharge outcomes. It is therefore important for the Physiotherapist to be equipped with knowledge of factors associatedwith or can predict long term outcomes in patients who have SCI at early stage for rehabilitation decision-makingprocess. Methods: This prospective observational study involved patients who sustained SCIand were admitted into the University College Hospital, Ibadan in South-West Nigeria. Eligibility criteria included reporting at the facility within 72hours post-injury and being fully conscious at the time of the study. All those who satisfied the criteria were initially assessed within 7days post-injury.  Socio-demographic information namely age, gender, marital status, educational status weregathered through patient interview. The American Spinal Injury Association International Standards for Neurological classification of Spinal Cord Injury assessment scale was used to classify the cord injury; while Eysenck personality questionnaire and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale were administered to assess personality profile and self-esteem respectively at the point of recruitment  and again at 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th weeks of hospital admission. Analysis: Data were entered usingthe SPSS version 15 software. Motor function across weeks among all participants and based on socio-demographic and clinical variables categories were tested using the one way repeated measureanalysis of variance. The relationship between Motor function, Self-esteem and Personality scores were tested using Spearman rank correlation analysis at p=0.05.Results:Thirty patients with SCI wererecruited out of which 28 comprising 21 males and 7 females (32.97±11.12 years)completed the study.  No significant association was observed between the type of cord injury and age (p=0.26); gender (p=0.20); marital status (p= 0.46); level of education (p= 0.33).  There was no statistically significant clinical factors differential with type of cord injury (p>0.05). Significant increase in motor function scores across weeks among all the participants, and significant association was found between motor function and type of cord injury (p= 0.01), and group of cordinjury (p= 0.04).  No significant association was found between motor function and personality of the patients, but motor function was associated with self-esteem scores over time. Conclusion: Post-SCI motor function recovery was influenced by the type and group of cord injury, and self-esteem of the patients over the study period. Implication: There is need for physiotherapists to take both clinical and non-clinical factorsinto consideration while planning intervention for individuals who have sustained a spinal cord injury, especially at the early phase of rehabilitation.

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