Problem solving and collaborative involvement among adolescents with spinal cord injury and their caregivers.
Olivia E Clark, Anne L Rivelli, Alison L Mroczkowski and 4 others
PMID 37456794WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with spinal cord injury who perceived their caregivers as collaborative partners in their daily care showed better positive and rational problem-solving skills.
This association held even when accounting for the caregivers' own problem-solving abilities.
Key findings
01Effective caregiver problem-solving and adolescent perceptions of collaborative parent involvement were each associated with positive problem-solving orientation in adolescents.
02For each one unit increase in adolescent perceptions of collaborative parent involvement, there was a .27 unit increase in adolescent positive problem-solving orientation scores when controlling for caregiver problem-solving.
03Effective caregiver problem-solving and adolescent perceptions of collaborative parent involvement were each associated with increased rational problem solving in adolescents.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot establish causation; it is unclear whether collaborative care leads to better problem-solving or if adolescents with better problem-solving skills perceive more collaboration. The sample was recruited from a single healthcare system, which may limit generalizability to other populations. A power analysis was not conducted. The study relied on self-report measures, which are subject to bias. The sample was primarily male, Caucasian, and had paraplegia, limiting applicability to more diverse groups.
Declared interests
The research was supported by Shriners Hospitals for Children. The authors did not report specific conflicts of interest in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that increasing caregiver involvement alone will improve adolescent problem-solving. The study links adolescent *perception* of collaboration with better outcomes, and the cross-sectional design means we do not know if the collaboration caused the improvement or if adolescents with better skills simply perceive more collaboration.