Changing psychosocial morbidity in people aging with spinal cord injury

to examine how scores on measures of stress, life satisfaction, depression, and psychological well-being relate to perceived quality of life among people with longstanding spinal cord injuries.

189 members of a British population-based study of outcomes after spinal cord injury were evaluated at three-year intervals from 1990 to 1999. Participants rated their quality of life at each interval, and completed various psychosocial measures. Scores and results were analyzed to identify changes over time and correlations with perceived quality of life.

Self-ratings of quality of life were high and relatively stable over the duration of the longitudinal study. There were strong concurrent relationships between perceived quality of life and psychosocial outcomes. Across time periods, the outcomes studied did not seem to strongly predict later quality of life, but earlier perceived quality of life did predict later stress, depression, and psychological well-being.

Perceived quality of life among this group of individual with long duration spinal cord injuries was high and relatively stable over time. Significant relationships identified between earlier quality of life and later perceived stress, depression, and well-being suggest that quality of life, typically thought of as a key outcome may itself be a predictor of other outcomes.