Social support, locus of control and pyschological health in family members following head or spinal cord injury

Abstract

Perceived stress and psychological health were comparatively examined in relation to social support and locus of control in family members of patients who had sustained moderate to severe closed head injury (CHI) or spinal cord injury (SCI). In the group with CHI, family members reported significantly greater symptoms of depression, and greater perceived stress in relation to difficult personality characteristics of the patient and day-to-day problems involved in caregiving. The family members of the patients with SCI reported significantly greater social support within the family. In the group with CHI, an internal locus of control and greater social support from friends, but not other family members, were significantly correlated with lower levels of perceived stress and better psychological health. In the group with SCI, greater social support from both family and friends was significantly correlated with lower levels of perceived stress and better psychological health. The results of this study are consistent with the notion that social support and locus of control may significantly, albeit differentially, moderate the effects of profound life changes in these groups. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of intervention strategies that may be utilized to facilitate family adjustment following CHI or SCI.