Mental Health Research

KEY FINDING: Suicide is at least 3 times more common in individuals with SCI than in individuals without SCI, and anxiety and PTSD are at least twice as prevalent.

KEY FINDING: The developed 13-item Sexual Performance Questionnaire (SPQ-SCI) is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing sexual performance in Iranian PwSCI, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.77 and an interclass correlation coefficient of 0.75.

KEY FINDING: Functional aspects of social relationships were consistently related to clinically relevant higher MHI-5 scores and lower risk of mental health disorders.

KEY FINDING: Mindfulness significantly contributes to a higher quality of life for individuals with spinal cord injuries, even when considering other factors like age, employment, and injury severity.

KEY FINDING: The study found high completion rates and acceptability of the data collection protocol, with over 98% of care partners completing the study and high compliance rates for daily and monthly surveys.

KEY FINDING: The primary outcome measure is PTSD symptoms measured by the PSSI-5 at baseline, 1-month, 3-months, and 6-months.

KEY FINDING: The study hypothesizes that the Caring Connections intervention will lead to a reduction in loneliness among participants compared to the control group after the 6-month intervention period.

KEY FINDING: Decreased access to mental health support was associated with decreased satisfaction in mobility, participation in recreational activities, and relationships with family and friends.

KEY FINDING: The modified protocol utilizes HIPAA-compliant technologies, such as Zoom, DocuSign, and a commercially available HRV sensor and smartphone application, to facilitate implementation of the intervention at home.

KEY FINDING: The PTSD-PRS was significantly associated with an increased risk of PTSD at 6 months post-mTBI.