Quality of life in people with spinal cordinjury

Abstract:  The aim of this study was to examine the quality of life of people with spinal cord injury (SCI). A sample of 105 individuals with SCI completed a set of questionnaires to assess quality of life, daily stress, somatic symptoms, social support, and hardiness. Based on multiple regression analysis, we found that the quality of life of the participants was negatively associated with the severity of SCI (the most severity type [quadriplegia] showed the lowest quality of life), as well as with worse physical health and with an increase in weekly analgesic consumption. Conversely, there was a positive association between quality of life and hardiness, social support from friends, and a home adapted to spinal cord injury. Results suggest that people with a spinal cord injury have a lifestyle quite different from that of the rest of population, and their quality of life will be significantly diminished. Also, results show that the more complete and severe the SCI, the worse quality of life. Keywords:  Quality of life; spinal cord injury; daily stress; well-being; health. Resumen:  Calidad de vida en las personas con una lesion medular espinal . El objetivo del presente estudio consistio en examinar la calidad de vida en personas que sufren de lesion medular espinal (LME). Se aplico un conjunto de cuestionarios a una muestra de 105 personas con LME con objeto de evaluar la calidad de vida, el estres diario, la sintomatologia somatica, el apoyo social y el hardiness. Basandonos en analisis de regresion multiple, encontramos que la calidad de vida de los participantes se asociaba negativamente con la gravedad de la LME (el tipo mas grave [tetraplejia] presentaba la menor calidad de vida), asi como tambien con peor salud fisica y con un incremento en el consumo semanal de analgesicos. Por el contrario, constatamos una relacion positiva entre calidad de vida y hardiness, apoyo social de amigos y adaptacion de la vivienda a su LME. Los resultados sugieren que las personas con LME presentan un estilo de vida distinto al del resto de la poblacion, estando marcadamente reducida su calidad de vida. Asi mismo, los resultados muestran que cuanto mas grave sea la LME, mas deteriorada esta la calidad de vida de estas personas. Palabras clave:  Calidad de vida; lesion medular espinal; estres diario; bienestar; salud.