Access to Health Services: Experiences of Women with Neurological Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to explore the need for health (the psychological and social domains of health) services and experiences of accessing the services among women with neurological disorders (multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, spinal cord injuries). A qualitative study design (individual interview) was used and 23 women with neurological disorders participated in the study. The experiences of the participants were multifaceted and yielded several themes. The major themes included: (a) a need for psychological and social services, (b) the lack of the expertise about disability among mental health service providers, (c) the lack of choices for selecting psychological services among participants, (d) seeking informal support (e.g., family and peers) as the major strategy in coping with psychological problems, and (e) inaccessible environments preventing the participants from receiving adequate psychological and social services. Implications of the results for rehabilitation professionals and researchers are discussed in light of gender-related issues.