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Compared to research conducted with nondisabled samples, little is known about the relation between mental health and physical activity (PA) in individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Despite this population being more at risk of experiencing anxiety and depression and less likely to engage in PA, few studies have investigated other factors that may impact this association in this population such as anxiety sensitivity (AS). AS is a fear of physiological arousal sensations, and importantly has been shown to be negatively associated with PA in people without disabilities. It is unknown if the changes to how one experiences physiological sensations after a SCI impacts the relation between AS and PA. Objective: This study investigated which forms of PA are predicted by anxiety and depression and whether AS is predictive of PA in this population. Research Method: 98 participants with a SCI (both paraplegia and tetraplegia) completed an online questionnaire that had measures of PA, AS, and anxiety and depression. Results: It was found that symptoms of anxiety were significantly associated with mild-intensity PA. Interestingly AS was positively associated with moderate-intensity PA. Conclusions: The results of this study show that the relation between mental health and PA in this sample may not mirror what has been found in people without disabilities. More research is needed to replicate these findings as well as to investigate other potential mechanisms that may be relevant for people with a SCI. Impact and Implications: The results of this paper provide important insights into the association between physical activity and mental health for people with a spinal cord injury (SCI). The results of this paper suggest that research looking at this association in people who do not have disabilities may not be generalizable to people with a SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose/Objective: The stressors experienced by parents of children admitted for inpatient rehabilitation likely place parents at high risk for poor psychosocial adjustment; however, no research to date has described parent adjustment during the acute phase of a child's inpatient rehabilitation hospitalization. The present study evaluates parent adjustment processes through the lens of the transactional stress and coping model by assessing a specific cognitive process (i.e., illness uncertainty) and coping methods (i.e., self-care), which may influence parent adjustment during the inpatient rehabilitation. Research Method/Design: Forty-two parents (47.6% White, 86% female) of children newly admitted to a pediatric inpatient rehabilitation hospital were recruited. Parents completed self-report measures of demographics, illness uncertainty, self-care, and depressive, anxious, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results: Sixty-six percent of parents reported clinically significant symptoms in at least one domain of distress. Illness uncertainty accounted for 22.2%–42.4% of the variance in parent distress symptoms, after controlling for parent and child age, parent trauma history, and income. Self-care accounted for 35.1%–51.9% of the variance in parent distress symptoms, when accounting for parent and child age, parent trauma history, and income. Conclusions/Implications: More than half of parents endorsed clinical elevations in anxiety, depression, and/or posttraumatic stress. Illness uncertainty and self-care are likely very important clinical topics to discuss with parents. Future research should seek to not only assess how parent distress changes across time, but also how other cognitive processes, as well as environmental and family factors influence the parent adjustment process. Impact and Implications: This paper is among the first to evaluate parent psychosocial adjustment in the context of inpatient pediatric rehabilitation. It is clear that parents of children receiving inpatient pediatric rehabilitation care would benefit from psychosocial support during their child's admission. Illness uncertainty and parent self-care may be particularly important variables to study further in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]