Pilot Study of a Newly Developed Intervention for Families Facing Serious Injury

Background: There is a need to develop interventions that address the entire family after spinal cord injury (SCI), especially in Latin America, where rehabilitation resources are limited and little is known about family adjustment to SCI. Objective: To evaluate the short-term (post-intervention) and longer term (6-month) effectiveness of the newly developed, 8-session manualized family intervention for individuals with SCI and their family members compared to a control group. Methods: In this clinical demonstration project, longitudinal self-report data were collected from 8 individuals with SCI and their family members in Colombia, South America. The 8 families were randomly assigned to either the SCI intervention group or the waitlist control group. The intervention group included 10 individuals from 4 different families, with a mean age of 41.40 years (SD = 14.18). The control group was composed of 13 individuals from 4 different families with a mean age of 44.38 years (SD = 14.76). All participants completed Spanish versions of instruments that assessed depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), burden (Zarit Burden Interview), and perceived problem-solving skills (Problem-Solving Inventory). Results: Results provide preliminary evidence that symptoms of depression, anxiety, and burden as well as problem-solving appraisals improved significantly for individuals who participated in the intervention, whereas no change in symptoms was observed among those in the waitlist control group. Conclusions: Findings suggest that this newly developed intervention for families facing SCI can be beneficial; however, this pilot study represents only the first step in the examination of the efficacy and effectiveness of this intervention.