Six themes of adjustment shared by human participants in experimental surgery to the spinal cord

Abstract

The inclusion of psychosocial assessment models in human experimental research protocol is a new area and has recently been applied to persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). Qualitative analysis of six psychosocial assessment interviews, conducted for the purpose of screening potential human participants for experimental surgery, reveals six distinct themes of positive adjustment: Personal Strengths, Life Meaning, Positive Attitude, Engagement in Life, Support of Significant Others, and a Level of Resources that Does Not Inhibit Life Activity. The importance of psuchosocial assessment in determining an individual's adjustment to disability makes visible the particular internal and external conditions that ensure harm to research participants is minimized.