Date: 16/08/2010

Researchers from the University of Western Sydney are calling for men and women who live with a spinal cord injury (SCI) to come forward and share their stories.

Dr Kathryn Nicholson Perry, from the UWS School of Psychology, is the lead researcher on a stream of new projects which focus on the lived experiences of people with a SCI.

"Approximately 10,000 people are currently living with a SCI in Australia, with an additional 300 to 400 added to these statistics each year," says Dr Nicholson Perry.

"An injury to the spinal cord can be devastating. These research projects aim to understand how various aspects of a person's life can be affected, and in what ways."

The research team are conducting three separate studies that will explore:

• How people with a SCI make decisions about whether or not to have children.
• The number of people with a SCI who are also living with post-traumatic stress disorder.
• The extent of people's SCI-related chronic pain and how distortions in body image can contribute to this pain.

Dr Nicholson Perry says the UWS studies will explore some of the most pressing issues for both men and women with a spinal cord injury.

"By investigating the individual experiences of people with a SCI, it is hoped that the research will lead to the development of additional treatment and rehabilitation methods and assist people in making informed choices and fulfilling their goals for the future," she says.

Assisting Dr Nicholson Perry on the various research projects will be Dr Lorimer Moseley from Neuroscience Research Australia and UWS postgraduate students Jasmine Wong, Beth Murray-Roach and Sarah Goonniah.

For more information, or to participate in the studies, please:

or visit University of Western Sydney, Dr K. Nicholson Perry