Michigan Medicine has released findings that resilience is a key factor associated with positive psychological outcomes after a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). In a nutshell, it’s perspective that determines quality of life, not the other way around.
Researchers found that flourishing, a sense of well-being, can occur with all levels and severity of diagnosis.
This satisfaction with life comes with a healthy self image and effort toward personal growth and achievement, rather than factors like financial success, or even good health and physical ability.
The study first examined the association between various factors and psychological flourishing after SCI. They found that being married, viewing oneself favorably in comparison to others, and reporting better subjective health ratings were significantly associated with higher levels of psychological flourishing.
Researchers went on to study the flourishing individuals in a second phase of the study that found participants tended to display a resilient personality profile, report high-average levels of social support, and perform within normal limits on a measure of executive functioning.
This positive subjective view of self and health often involves a capacity to adapt, focus on gratitude, and the practice of viewing one’s life as meaningful. Research suggested there may be a unique psychological profile among individuals who hold that view, whether it’s inherent or learned through psychotherapy. A resilient personality profile can be cultivated with work.
By contrast, the study found that comparing life and health with other people and focusing on health issues beyond one’s control proved to prohibit flourishing. Positive psychological outcomes after SCI also were found in individuals with strong social support, and cognitive capacity.
A 2022 study revealed similar findings: Gratitude, meaning, use of personal strengths, and psychological flexibility characterize resilience and well-being among persons with SCI.
A much older study on quality of life after SCI found that most individuals with high level spinal cord injuries reported adequate satisfaction with life comparable to life pre injury.
It’s Adaptation Level Theory and humans are good at it. In keeping our minds right, we can better face the challenges of the body and its limitations.
These studies indicate that psychological flourishing has little to do with injury-related factors like injury level or completeness, time since injury or medical complications or socioeconomic factors like household income and employment. Factors like social comparison and health self-perception play a much bigger role in determining quality of life.
And that’s good news, considering most individuals with spinal cord injury can access psychotherapies that directly target these psychosocial factors.
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