Received: 2 Jul. 2010 Accepted: 10 Sep. 2010 * Psychiatrist, Behavioural Sciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, lran. ** Resident, Department of Psychiatry, Behavioural Sciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. *** MD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Behavioural Sciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical sciences, Isfahan, Iran. **** MSc, Behavioural Sciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. ***** PhD, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Correspondence to: Ali Zargham Boroujeni, PhD. Email: zargham@nm.mui.ac.ir 356 IJNMR/ 2010; Vol 15, Special Issue Original Article The process of confrontation with disability in patients with spinal cord injury Azadeh Malekian*, Anahita Kouchaki**, Gholamhossein Ahmadzadeh***, Mahin Aminoroaia****, Ali Zargham Boroujeni***** Abstract BACKGROUND: Spinal injury can establish severe psychological outcomes for the patient and his/her family which requires high adjustment. Health system staff would be able to play their roles well in caring these patients provided with knowing what steps spinal injured people should pass to handle their disability and also what assistance they need in what stages from what sources. This study aimed to explain the process of confrontation with disability in spinal cord injured patients. METHODS: This was a qualitative study with grounded theory approach which was performed in Strauss and Corbin pro- posed method on twenty people with spinal cord injury who had past at least three months from their spinal injury. Sam- pling was done in purposive and theoretical method, and analysis of the results was also performed during constant com- parative process. RESULTS: Central concept in the data was support which was associated with other concepts and affected them. The patients, with the help of internal and external support could overcome their main problem that was disability feeling and dependency on others and find a new definition for the self, and ultimately achieve the sense of independence and autonomy. CONCLUSIONS: Knowing the process of confrontation with disability along with better understanding of spinal cord injured people would help health system staff to actualize and support their potentials much better through strengthening internal resources and providing appropriate supportive services of each individual. KEY WORDS: Spinal cord injuries, people with disabilities, qualitative research. IJNMR 2010; 15(Special Issue): 356-362 pinal cord injury is a tragic and terrible event for patients who experience this incident. It may have severe psychologi- cal consequences for the patient and his/her family. Spinal cord injured individual is ex- posed to many high risks such as dependency, secondary medical side effects, drug addiction and other outcomes like lack of social, familial and emotional support. 1-3 The number of disabled (handicapped) people resulted from spinal cord injury in the U.S. estimated almost as 262,000 people in 2009 and it is estimated that annually, 12,000 new spinal injured people are diagnosed in differ- ent survivors’ incidents, which more than 41 percent of these cases are related to road acci- dents. 4 In Iran, although no accurate statistics are available from the number of handicapped people with spinal cord injury, the words of welfare organization authorities and Associa- tion for Defense of Handicapped Rights indi- cated that it is approximately 120,000 people which this number is increasing everyday due to various incidents. For example in Bam’s earthquake, 320 people suffered from spinal cord injury, and every year two thousand people are added to them due to road acci- S www.mui.ac.ir