Self-perception from the Viewpoints of the Informal Caregivers of Individuals with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Qualitative Study

Difficult life experiences in adulthood, such as caregiving of an individual with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI), constitute a challenge to the self and identity.

This study aimed to explore self-perception from the viewpoints of informal caregivers of individuals with TSCI.

Twelve informal caregivers of individuals with TSCI participated in this qualitative study. The researchers purposively selected the participants and conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews for data collection. They recorded the interviews and transcribed them verbatim. The researchers analyzed the data according to the qualitative content analysis method.

The findings included “the self-being” as the main category and “self-essence” and “self-possession” as higher-level subcategories and their 25 related lower-level subcategories.

The participants might perceive themselves as an eternal and granted “self-essence” or may perceive it as perishable and unstable “self-possessions.” Depending on self-perception, self-confidence and self-worth were maintained under any circumstances or fluctuated according to defects or lack of self-possessions.