Department of Psychology

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Browsing Department of Psychology by Author "Abdinor, Nicolette Jeanne"

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    The effectiveness of cognitive-behaviour therapy in improving psychological adjustment to spinal cord injury : a review of the literature
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2004-03) Abdinor, Nicolette Jeanne; Nortje, Charl; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The traumatic nature of spinal cord injury (SCI) imposes major and permanent life changes that necessitate physical, social and vocational adjustments for the individual, as well as placing strain on the family. The importance of psychological aspects of adjustment and rehabilitation has progressively become recognised as an integral part of facilitating a higher quality of life for individuals and their families living with SCI. While it has been established that psychological disturbance is not an inevitable long-term consequence of SCI, researchers have found that a proportion of this population has marked difficulty adapting psychologically to their new lifestyle and the challenges it poses. It has been found that the SCI population has an increased risk for divorce, substance abuse, self-neglect and suicide. In the mid-1990's, researchers involved in SCI rehabilitation started developing cognitivebehaviour therapy (CBT) interventions to assist individuals with their psychological adjustment to the traumatic injury. Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) cognitive theory of stress and coping has been the theoretical grounding for some of these interventions. The primary objective of this literature review is to ascertain the effectiveness of CBT in assisting individuals with their psychological adjustment to SCI and to make recommendations for future research in this area.