Development of a Novel Evaluation Scale of Mental Body Representation (MBR) for Adults With Spinal Cord Injury

About This Study

The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) Develop a new evaluation scale for mental body representations (MBR, i.e., body awareness and visuospatial body maps) for adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) with and without neuropathic pain. (2) Assess the psychometric properties of usability, reliability, and validity of the new evaluation scale This is a cross-sectional observational study design. For Aim 1, this study will involve initial item generation for a novel MBR evaluation scale for SCI through email communication, and individual interviews proctored remotely through Zoom, or, if preferred by the participant, in-person. For Aim 2, the study will include a Zoom call for consenting and questionnaires, as well as an in-person visit where participants will be tested with the new SCI-BodyMap evaluation scale, and a questionnaire asking about the usability and satisfaction of the new evaluation scale.

What's Involved

Conditions Studied

Study Locations

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

Control group

* Uninjured adults (from the contact list with the Brain Body Mind lab or through fliers or StudyFinder)
* 18+ years old adults

SCI group

* 18+ years old, participants with an incomplete or complete SCI of ≥ 1 year
* medically stable
* able to read and understand English
* having access to the internet/iPad/computer/phone and willing to come in for an in-person testing at the University of Minnesota.

Exclusion Criteria:

SCI group

* Uncontrolled seizure disorder;
* cognitive impairment and/or communicative disability (e.g., due to brain injury) preventing them from following directions or from learning;
* ventilator dependency;
* major medical complications;
* pressure ulcers hindering prolonged sitting or lying down.