The role of individual predispositions in coping with the sudden loss of mobility caused by a traffic accident

The sudden loss of mobility is always an extremely difficult situation, since it entails many consequences. In the process of dealing with it, the individual’s predispositions play a significant role. Three predispositions seem to be crucial for maintaining emotional balance, accepting the existing health situation and coping with challenges: dispositional optimism, a sense of self-efficacy and psychological resilience. The aim of our study was to compare the levels of these individual predispositions and dimensions that affected the ability of the study group to cope with the sudden loss of mobility as a result of a traffic accident, and to determine the relationships between them. The study group consisted of 72 adults (36 women and 36 men), who suffered from full paralysis of the lower limbs due to spinal cord injury caused by a traffic accident. The research tools used were the GSES Scale, the LOT-R Test, the SPP-25 N Scale, the Beck Depression Scale, the AIS Scale and the CISS Questionnaire. The women in our study exhibited lower levels of all three of the selected predispositions. They also present more severe symptoms of depression and a lower acceptance of the loss of mobility. When facing stressful situations, they prefer the emotion-oriented style and, less frequently, the avoidant style, and they reveal a lower tendency to choose the task-oriented response. Dispositional optimism, self-efficacy and resilience positively correlate with acceptance of the disability and the use of a task-oriented style to cope with stress. However, they correlate negatively with the severity of depressive symptoms and a style focused on emotions. Gender is a moderator of relationships between the studied parameters.