Resiliency and quality of life trajectories after injury

Injury can greatly impact patients' long-term quality of life. Resilience refers to an individual's ability to positively adapt after facing stress or trauma. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between preinjury resiliency scores and quality of life after injury. METHODS: Two hundred twenty-five adults admitted with an Injury Severity Score greater than 10 but without neurologic injury were included. The 36-item Short Form was administered at the time of admission and repeated at 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, and 12 months after injury. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale was completed at admission and scores were categorized into high resiliency or not high resiliency. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify distinct recovery trajectories for physical component scores (PCS) and mental component scores (MCS) of the 36-item Short Form. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine whether baseline resiliency scores were predictive of PCS and MCS recovery trajectories. RESULTS: Age, race, sex, mechanism of injury, Charlson Comorbidity Index, Injury Severity Score, presence of hypotension on admission, and insurance status were not associated with high resiliency. Compared with those who made less than US $10,000 per year, those who made more than US$50,000 per year had higher odds of being in the high resilience group (odds ratio, 10.92; 95% confidence interval, 2.58-46.32). Three PCS and 5 MCS trajectories were identified. There was no relationship between resilience and PCS trajectory. However, patients with high resiliency scores were 85% less likely to belong to trajectory 1, the trajectory that had the lowest mental health scores over the course of the study. Follow-up for the study was 93.8% for month 1, 82.7% for month 2, 69.4% for month 4, and 63.6% for month 12. CONCLUSION: Patient resiliency predicts quality of life after injury in regards to mental health with over 25% of patients suffering poor mental health outcome trajectories. Efforts to teach resiliency skills to injured patients could improve long-term mental health for injured patients. Trauma centers are well positioned to carry out such interventions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic/epidemiologic study, level III

Factors Influencing the Decisions of Women Small Business Owners on Hiring People with Disabilities

Despite the passage of disability rights legislation in the United States, individuals with disabilities continue to experience high unemployment and underemployment rates than their counterparts without disabilities. The purpose of the study was to examine the attitudes of women small business owners towards hiring individuals with disabilities, and to determine what factors influence their hiring decisions. A total of 80 women small business owners in a southwestern U.S. state took part in the study. The Employer Attitudes Questionnaire (EAQ) and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale Short Form-C (M-C Form C) were used to assess participants’ attitudes. The results of a sequential multiple regression analysis indicated that the independent variables as a whole contributed 7.2% to the variance in the outcome of EAQ score. Scores of the EAQ were weakly correlated with scores on the M-C Form C (r = .276, p = .013). Working facilitates the development of a sense of self-worth, self-sufficiency, self-efficacy, and social networks. The bearing of unemployment and underemployment on the quality of life for individuals with disabilities cannot be underestimated. Women-led businesses offer a number of advantages for employees with disabilities, including their resilience to economic downturns, have a lower employee retrenchment rate, and possess a better understanding of employment and anti-discrimination legislation

Judgment deferred: Reappraisal of rehabilitation counseling movement toward licensure parity

Fifteen years have passed since an analysis of the position of rehabilitation counselors in the national counselor licensure movement by Tarvydas and Leahy. This article addresses the question of how well their efforts to achieve licensure parity with other counselors have fared. This question will be addressed by discussing (a) rehabilitation counseling developments that have influenced licensure progress, (b) shifts in the nature of professionalization and efforts toward rehabilitation counseling parity, and (c) counselor licensure trends and rehabilitation counseling status within them. Specific recommendations are provided that would assist the field of rehabilitation counseling in meeting the urgent challenges that confront them in consolidating its position in the maturing counselor licensure movement before it is further disadvantaged. © 2009 Hammill Institute on Disabilities

Doctoral Dissertation Research in Rehabilitation Counseling: 2008-2010

This article continues the tradition of reviews documenting doctoral rehabilitation research. Doctoral dissertations completed during calendar years 2008-2010 from recognized doctoral rehabilitation programs were identified and reviewed using the same approach used by Tansey, Zanskas, and Phillips. Analysis of 88 dissertations resulted in a topical index of research topic, methodology, model, and type of statistical analysis that were considered independently and in relation to previous reviews. Among findings, the increase in predictive outcome studies observed in Tansey et al.was also observed in this review. An increase in research on specific clinical populations was also observed. Implications for the practice of rehabilitation counseling, rehabilitation education, and future research are discussed. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2012

Doctoral dissertation research in rehabilitation counseling: 2005-2007

Graduates of doctoral level programs are the stewards of their profession. Historically, doctoral dissertation research has been summarized as a service to improve research accessibility, analyze research trends, and suggest potential areas for future inquiry. The current review analyzes 99 doctoral dissertations from recognized rehabilitation counseling programs for the years 2005 through 2007. Departing from previous inquiries, the present study analyzed the methodology employed, the research model, and the type of statistical analyses implemented to answer the research questions posed by the dissertator. These additional points were included to reflect the growing emphasis in the field of rehabilitation counseling on evidence-based practice. A description of the methodology utilized to develop the reference citations, content summaries, observations, trends, and the annotated bibliography is provided. Potential implications for the practice of rehabilitation counseling, teaching, and future research are discussed. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2012

Scholarly Productivity in Rehabilitation Counseling: A Review of Journal Contributors From 2000 to 2009

As with most disciplinary areas in the realm of academe, the prestige of rehabilitation counseling has always been assessed by a faculty\u27s research productivity, which is determined by the frequency of publications in the leading peer-reviewed journals. The purpose of the present study was to appraise peer-reviewed publication venues, order of authorship, article types, research productivity of scholars, and their affiliated programs in the field of rehabilitation counseling. A total of 1,855 peer-reviewed articles from seven major rehabilitation-related journals over a 10-year period (2000 to 2009) were investigated. Results revealed disparities in research productivity between minority-serving institutions and White-dominant institutions, and also between teaching-oriented institutions and research-oriented institutions. The authors also found a positive correlation between an institution\u27s research productivity ranking and its U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools ranking. Toward the conclusion, suggestions for future research on scholarly productivity are provided. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2013

Doctoral Dissertation Research in Rehabilitation Counseling: 2011

This article begins a series of planned annual reviews of rehabilitation doctoral dissertation research. Twenty doctoral dissertations completed in 2011 from recognized doctoral programs in rehabilitation were identified and analyzed. Dissertations were indexed according to their research topic, methodology employed, model, and statistical analysis, and an annotated bibliography was developed. Institutional productivity and employment trends of doctoral graduates were added as baseline data points for future analysis. Results of the current analysis reflect that a majority of the studies consisted of quantitative descriptive research designs. Unlike prior analyses, advanced and basic statistics were utilized equitably. Dissertations focusing on attitudes toward persons with a disability were higher than any of the prior reporting periods. Predictive outcome studies and clinical population research also remain prevalent. Implications for the practice of rehabilitation counseling, education, and future research are discussed. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2013

Doctoral Dissertation Research in Rehabilitation Counseling: 2012

This article continues a series of reviews of rehabilitation doctoral dissertation research. In 2012, there were 30 doctoral dissertations completed from identified doctoral programs in rehabilitation counseling. Dissertations were indexed by research topic, methodology used, model, and statistical analysis. An annotated bibliography is provided. A consideration of institutional productivity and doctoral graduate employment outcomes were also included in the analysis. Results of the current analysis show that a majority of studies comprised quantitative descriptive research designs. Unlike analyses from previous years, advanced and basic statistics were utilized equitably. The proportion of dissertations focusing on attitudes toward persons with a disability was greater than any of the prior reporting periods. Predictive outcome studies and clinical population research also remain prevalent. Implications for the practice of rehabilitation counseling, education, and future research are discussed

Interprofessional Training: Preparing Graduate Counseling and Social Work Students for Integrated Behavioral Healthcare Settings

Purpose: This study presents the evaluation of a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) workforce development initiative focused on preparing master’s level social work and counseling students to work in integrated behavioral healthcare settings. Method: Seventy-nine trainees attending a large urban university in the southeastern United States participated in an interdisciplinary program that included a combination of field experience, exposure to interdisciplinary professional settings, readings, and experiential-didactic sessions. Results: Differences across trainee areas of study, race, gender, and urban or rural origins were assessed utilizing pre/posttest measures on cultural competency, team skills, and attitudes toward family involvement. Conclusions: Results suggest that trainees demonstrated overall growth in team skills. Potentially an overlooked but positive outcome of the training program was the modeling of effective interprofessional teamwork through collaboration among the counseling and social work faculty. Implications for social work and counselor educators and future research are discussed