The importance of acceptance
Acceptance is not submission, nor is it resignation. Acceptance is dealing with reality. It is the starting point for constructive thought and action, and the exact opposite of the kicking, screaming, energy-wasting futility of non-acceptance.
This study is about the psychological aspects of traumatic paraplegia, meaning traumatic injury leading to paraplegia such as from vehicle accidents, falls, diving accidents and so on. One day fit and healthy… the next day paraplegic. HSP does not happen quite that way, however many with HSP will be able to relate to the emotional, attitudinal and life assessment aspects identified in this study. It would be wise not to dismiss the findings of this study as irrelevant just because HSP is not considered traumatic paraplegia.
Personal Growth and Acceptance
For personal growth to occur after traumatic paraplegia, this study found that adjusting or changing one’s beliefs about the world or worldview and transforming one’s values, in total amounting to the acceptance of disability, is needed.
The process of acceptance of paraplegia includes:
* regarding physique as less important than other values
* avoiding comparisons and limitations to people without disability
* recognising and acknowledging one’s own values and assets, and
* enlarging the scope of values that are important in one’s life.
STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
OBJECTIVES: Investigating the correlations between basic hope, acceptance of disability, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in people with traumatic paraplegia, exploring the mediating effect of acceptance of disability.
SETTING: Community-dwelling people with traumatic paraplegia in Poland.
METHODS: Data were obtained from 281 individuals with paraplegia. The set of questionnaires included: The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI); Basic Hope Inventory (BHI); and The Multidimensional Acceptance of Loss Scale. Four dimensions of disability acceptance were measured: subordinating physique relative to other values, enlarging the scope of values, transforming comparative-status values into asset values, and containing the effects of disability. Mediation was tested with the Baron and Kenny’s approach.
RESULTS: A positive and statistically significant correlation between basic hope, acceptance of disability, and posttraumatic growth was found. Using a hierarchical regression analysis, a mediating effect of acceptance of disability was found for explaining the relationship between basic hope and posttraumatic growth in people with paraplegia. Only two dimensions of disability acceptance, subordinating physique relative to other values and transforming comparative-status values into asset values, were found to play a mediating role.
CONCLUSION: Beliefs about the world and the transformation of values that constitute acceptance of disability are important for explaining PTG in people with paraplegia. Correlations between these variables are complex. The correlation between basic hope and posttraumatic growth in individuals with paraplegia may be understood better by taking into account the mediating role of acceptance of disability.
SOURCE: Spinal Cord. 2018 Oct 29. doi: 10.1038/s41393-018-0215-7. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30374064
Basic hope and posttraumatic growth in people with traumatic paraplegia – the mediating effect of acceptance of disability.
Byra S1.
1 Faculty of Education and Psychology, Institute of Pedagogy, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin, Poland, Narutowicza 12, 20-004, Lublin, Poland. [email protected].