Thriving after pediatric spinal cord injury: two life stories

Abstract

Introduction: The primary objective of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experience of spinal cord injury (SCI) as described by life story interviews with two adults who sustained SCI as children. Case presentation: Data were collected by conducting 15 life story interviews with two individuals with SCI. Atkinson’s Life Story Interview approach along with open-ended questions was utilized to capture the narrative data. Polkinghorne’s narrative analysis of eventful data approach was used to configure the data elements into a story with the purpose of understanding the lived experience of SCI of these two individuals. Four themes relevant to the experience of living with a chronic condition emerged: adjustment to life with SCI, hardiness, interdependence, and post-traumatic growth. Discussion: This study illustrated how the two participants’ personal development and life trajectories were deeply shaped by pediatric-onset SCI. The life story interview process proved to be an effective approach to understanding the lived experience of SCI as told by two adults with pediatric-onset SCI. While the two participants represented unique contexts, their stories conveyed several cohesive, transcendent themes relevant to the experience of living with a chronic condition. Future narrative inquiry research in individuals with pediatric-onset SCI is necessary to build a representation of this population’s lived experiences.