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Learning Objective #1: explore themes related to spiritual well-being among spinal cored injured patients.

Learning Objective #2: describe the components of an “after-care” program designed to provide psychosocial spiritual support to spinal cord injured patients.

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Researchers at the University of North Florida joined with a regional rehabilitation facility to study the role of spiritual well-being in spinal cord injured patients. The aim of the study was to qualitatively analyze the meaning of spiritual well-being in a group of spinal cord injured patients. Individual interviews were done with six spinal cord injured patients admitted to the rehabilitation facility. Participants were asked to define spiritual well-being and describe as fully as possible a personal experience of spiritual well-being. All interviews were conducted while participants were in-patients or directly after discharge. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and a thematic analysis was completed independently by each of the researchers. A major theme identified in all transcripts was the importance of a sense of belonging. This was brought out in references to relationships with family, friends, and therapists at the hospital, as well as with fellow patients who had similar injuries. Secondary themes were also identified including a sense of something greater than self; the importance of maintaining a positive, “can-do” attitude; and the notion of “moving on with one’s life.” The researchers, in collaboration with strategic individuals at the rehabilitation facility, have developed an intervention based on the outcomes of this study. The intervention is designed to foster spiritual well-being through on-going psychosocial spiritual support following discharge from the in-patient facility. This “after-care” program is aimed at strengthening the sense of belonging, and the positive attitude evident during the in-patient period. An integral part of the program is time set aside for sharing “trials and triumphs” in dealing with the everyday tasks of living with spinal cord injury. The presentation will include a description of the underlying research and will focus on the intervention itself along with preliminary results related to efficacy of the intervention.