Head injury and spinal cord injury: differential effects on psychosocial functioning

Closed-head injury (CHI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) cause significant permanent alterations in life style, social-role functioning, and psychological status. While the cognitive effects of CHI are well known, there have been questions concerning the psychosocial sequelae from CHI, and whether they are unique to this disability group rather than representing general effects of a life-threatening medical emergency with permanent life-altering consequences. This issue was examined with samples of ambulatory moderate (n = 31) and severe (n = 17) CHI patients and wheelchair-dependent SCI (n = 24) patients. Results indicate that there were no significant differences between the groups on pre- and post injury demographic factors. However, while the moderate CHI and SCI groups were equivalent on many indicators of psychosocial outcome, the severe CHI group was more depressed, angry and hostile, and confused and bewildered. As well, wives of the severe CHI patients rated their husbands as more belligerent, negative, helpless, suspicious, withdrawn and retarded, and with more general psychopathology than did wives of moderate CHI or wives of SCI patients. Implications of these findings for preventative psychosocial rehabilitation are discussed.