THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SELECTED PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS, ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF ADJUSTMENT, AND MANNER OF ONSET OF SPINAL CORD INJURY

The study examined the relationships among selected personality characteristics, manner of onset of spinal cord injury (SCI), and activity patterns at one year post-traumatic injury. The sample included 53 men and women, over age 16 who had received active in-patient rehabilitation at the Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University Medical Center. By one year post-trauma, they had been discharged from the Institute to their own environments.;The hypotheses predicted that there would be differences in how time was spent, the level of depression, and the locus of control orientation between the active victims and innocent victims groups. Specifically, the hypotheses examined the combination of these variables; predicted the active victims would be more internal and less depressed; and that the active victims would participate in greater diversity of activities and would spend a greater proportion of time in social interactions. Further, the research questions examined all three groups and analyzed the Neurotic Triad of the MMPI.;Trained raters were provided with information regarding the events of the injury, and divided the research sample into innocent victims, passive victims, and active victims groups. Instruments used were: The Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, Activity Pattern Indicators (API), and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).;The hypotheses and research questions were not supported. However, the demographic variables of age at onset and sex revealed significant differences between the groups in supplementary data analysis. The social interaction variable (as measured by the API) appeared sensitive to differences between groups. The innocent victims (who were older and more likely to be female) participated in more socializing activities than either the active victims or passive victims groups.;The manner of onset of injury was conceptualized as incorporating both the behavior and personality of individuals at the time of their injury. The theoretical assumptions were that active involvement in injury would be reflected in a more active pattern of adjustment at one year.;The results suggest that future research should include women; that longer time periods since one year post-traumatic injury may be too early for younger men to have developed active social networks; and that a relationship may exist between age at onset, sex, and social interactions in our culture.