Functional performance, depression, anxiety and stress in people with spinal cord injuries in Thailand: A Transition from hospital to home

Abstract

The numbers of people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) in Thailand are on the increase. Thai traditional rehabilitation focuses its treatment in acute care with little attention to the lives of clients after their discharge from institutions. In addition to functional disability, emotional states of depression, anxiety, and stress are often involved in SCI. The purpose of this study is to identify and compare the outcomes of functional performance, depression, anxiety and stress of people with SCI, both at discharge and at post-discharge from hospital. It also identifies factors influencing these issues, for this group. The study participants were 121 people with SCI, recruited from ten major hospitals in Thailand. Data was collected at 48 hours pre-discharge and again at three months post-discharge, using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS). The results demonstrated that functional performance at discharge was significantly higher, than at three months post-discharge. Depression and anxiety at discharge were significantly lower than depression and anxiety at three months post-discharge. However, stress had not significantly changed from discharge to post-discharge. Factors influencing functional performance were marital status, number of architectural barriers, fulfilment of occupational therapy (OT) needs, and the number of service needs remaining unmet. Factors influencing depression, anxiety and stress were marital and economic status, education level, fulfilment of OT needs, and numbers of service needs remaining unmet. Rehabilitation professionals can eliminate these problems by bridging the gap of transition from hospital to home, for people with SCI.