Expectations of independence and life satisfaction among ageing spinal cord injured adults

The present study offers information about independence and life satisfaction over the lifespan for individuals with traumatic spinal cord injuries.

The study uses the health expectancy methodology to estimate expectations of the remaining years of life that may be spent in states of independence and satisfaction with life.

The cohort studied had all incurred a spinal cord injury between the ages of 25 and 34, between the years 1945 and 1990 in central and south-eastern Ontario.

The study found that levels of independence and quality of life in the sample conformed closely to those found in other similar studies with the spinal cord injured population: 22% reported their own functional status as dependent, and 22% reported fair to poor life satisfaction. Expectations of independence appeared to decline steadily over the five decades studied, while expectations of modified independence increased proportionally. Estimates varied significantly for those with paraplegia vs. quadriplegia, and those with complete vs. incomplete lesions. Expectations of life satisfaction appeared to change after the 30 year mark; at that point, the balance changed so that expectations of dissatisfaction outweighed expectations of satisfaction. Multiple regression showed that independence was related to lesion level, completeness and recency of injury, and both independence and satisfaction were related to marriage and employment.