Ageing with spinal cord injury: the impact of spousal support

Research has offered ample evidence that spousal support can be seen as an important contributing factor to the ongoing health and well-being of ageing individuals, whether or not they have a spinal cord injury (SCI) or disability. In fact, spouses may be the most important element in successful rehabilitation and long-term home care for people with spinal cord injuries. This longitudinal study, which describes 225 British SCI long-term survivors, offers insight into marital status and its impact on general quality of life, depression, stress and community integration for individuals with SCI.

The results demonstrate married individuals having less depression, greater life satisfaction and psychological well-being, and having better perceived quality of life. When controlling for age, duration of injury, and gender, marital status was a significant predictor of better perceived life satisfaction and quality of life.