Abstract
Objective
To investigate relationships between self-reported biological, psychological, and
social factors and global, vocational, and home life satisfaction in individuals with
traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) an average of more than 30 years postinjury.
Design
Cross-sectional analyses of self-report assessment data.
Setting
Specialty and university hospitals in the southeastern and midwestern United States.
Participants
Individuals with a history of traumatic SCI (n=546) who responded to the most recent
data collection period of the SCI Longitudinal Aging Study (2018-2019) and who were
at least 2 years postinjury and at least 18 years or older at initial study enrollment.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Global life satisfaction, home life satisfaction, and vocational life satisfaction
as measured by the Life Situation Questionnaire-Revised.
Results
Taken together, the biopsychosocial variables explained 55.1% of the variance in global
life satisfaction. Less severe depressive symptoms, greater emotional social support,
and greater instrumental social support were significantly associated with greater
global life satisfaction. Together, the independent variables explained 50.7% of the
variance in home life satisfaction. Being in a relationship, having less severe depressive
symptoms, having greater emotional social support, and having greater instrumental
social support were significantly associated with home life satisfaction. Together,
the independent variables explained 44.8% of the variance in vocational satisfaction.
Being White, non-Hispanic, having more years of education, being in a relationship,
having less severe depressive symptoms, and having greater emotional social support
were significantly associated with greater vocational satisfaction.
Conclusion
These results support the need to assess psychological symptoms and available social
support as potential modifiable factors related to several domains of life satisfaction
in this aging population. Improving psychological symptoms and strengthening available
social support may relate to improved life satisfaction.
Key Words
List of abbreviations:
BRFSS (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System), QOL (quality of life), SCI (spinal cord injury), UTI (urinary tract infection)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 02, 2021
Accepted:
September 3,
2021
Received in revised form:
September 1,
2021
Received:
July 7,
2021
Footnotes
The contents of this publication were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR; grant no. 90IF0112). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this publication do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
