Psychosocial reintegration post-traumatic spinal cord injury in Rwanda: An exploratory study.

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Science
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) survivors face significant physical and psychosocial challenges upon returning to their communities.
• Community reintegration is a critical component of the recovery journey for TSCI survivors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the level of psychosocial reintegration among adults in Rwanda following a traumatic spinal cord injury.
• To identify factors influencing community reintegration in this population.

Main Methods:

• A telephone interview-based study was conducted with community-dwelling adults previously identified in an epidemiological study.
• Data were collected using an injury characteristics questionnaire and the Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Scale version 2 (SPRS-2).

Main Results:

• The study included 58 participants; 77.6% were male, and 56.9% had paraplegia.
• Overall community reintegration was poor, with low scores on the SPRS-2 (mean 20.95) and its domains: occupational activity, interpersonal relationships, and living skills.
• Gender significantly influenced overall reintegration and specific domains (p < 0.05), with males reporting better psychosocial reintegration. Injury level also impacted occupational activity scores (p = 0.002).

Conclusions:

• Gender is a strong predictor of psychosocial reintegration after TSCI, suggesting the importance of social support systems.
• Rehabilitation strategies should be holistic and consider individual readiness for community reintegration.