Changes in spiritual beliefs after traumatic disability

Objectives To discover the effect of sudden-onset disability on spirituality, specifically, to investigate changes following the onset of disability in spiritual concepts and to outline a theoretical framework consisting of relationships with the self, others, the world, and a supreme power. Study design The study used a cross-sectional, qualitative approach to understand changes in spirituality from the perspective of the disabled person. Intensive semistructured interviews were conducted with 16 participants, each of whom had either a spinal cord injury or brain injury, within the 2-year period after discharge from rehabilitation. Changes in spiritual concepts were explored in relation to 3 types of relationships (intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal) and 5 themes (awareness, closeness, trust, purpose, and vulnerability). Results Specific changes in…