Article

This study aimed to identify the housing priorities of families living
with persons with a spinal cord injury (SCI). METHOD: A new tool, the
psycho-environmental housing priorities (PEHP), was developed following the
principles of Q-methodology and based on the psycho-environmental model. The PEHP
includes 48 items concerning housing needs that were presented to 29 persons with
SCI and to 30 of their household members to determine the more important needs in
their home. RESULTS: Four different profiles of housing priorities emerged from
the analysis, with persons with SCI and household members being dispersed across
these profiles. Some needs, such as social contact and security, were identified
as priorities in all the profiles while others, such as pleasure, were unique to
some profiles. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the heterogeneity of housing
needs and the importance of addressing each family as unique when considering
housing. The results also show that some housing needs ought to be considered
because they were identified as important by everyone. Rehabilitation
professionals could use the PEHP as a tool to help households living with a
person with SCI plan their housing modifications to better meet the needs of all
inhabitants. Implications for Rehabilitation Spinal cord injury causes impairment
that significantly alters the relationship with the housing environment and
modifies the relative importance of housing needs. Persons with SCI and household
members have varying housing needs, as suggested by the identification of four
distinct profiles of housing priorities using the psycho-environmental housing
priorities (PEHP). The security and social contact needs emerge as important in
all profiles and may be considered "universal needs". Rehabilitation
professionals may use the PEHP as a tool to help households living with a person
with SCI plan their housing modifications, for instance to identify compatible
and conflicting priorities, and develop solutions agreeable to everyone. Using PEHP in the modification process could contribute to the household's feeling of autonomy and control.

Langue : ANGLAIS