Do post-traumatic stress symptoms predict reactions of adaptation to disability after a sudden-onset spinal cord injury?

Based on the perspective that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reflects a reaction of adaptation to trauma, the goal of this research was to examine the ability of PTSD symptom clusters (re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal) to predict eight reactions of adaptation to disability (shock, anxiety, denial, depression, internalized anger, externalized hostility, acknowledgment, and adjustment) among individuals with non-congenital spinal cord injuries. Individuals (all of whom attended either a specialized civilian or a veteran spinal cord injury clinic in Texas) completed two self-report questionnaires--the Reactions to Impairment and Disability Inventory (RIDI) and the Purdue Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale Revised (PPTSD-R). According to the statistical fit indices, five of the fit indices suggested that the revised model was a good fit to the data, whereas one fit index and the chi/df ratio indicated that the revised model fit the data poorly. The model provided information on the ability of PTSD clusters to predict reactions of adaptation, which suggested a specific pattern of vacillation of post-traumatic responses during the process of adaptation. These findings need replication before proposing interventions for post-traumatic stress responses after the onset of a spinal cord injury.