Assessment of emotional distress following a spinal cord injury.

Evaluated a new instrument, the Medical-Based Emotional Distress Scale (MEDS). The MEDS assesses emotional reactions (dysphoria, irritability) in response to a severe physical illness or disability, excluding symptoms that could be the direct result of a physical condition or problem, and includes subscales measuring affective reactions, behavioral changes, and cognitive distortions. A sample of 81 adults with a spinal cord injury was evaluated with the MEDS as well as the SCL-90, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, Hopelessness Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The MEDS subscales displayed moderately high internal consistency. Positive evidence of validity was found for MEDS subscales in the assessment of emotional distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)