Life satisfaction and self-reported impairments in persons with late effects of polio

Decades after an acute poliomyelitis infection many persons experience new symptoms or impairments which may affect their life satisfaction. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between life satisfaction and self-reported impairments in persons with late effects of polio.

One hundred and sixty-nine persons (104 women and 65 men) with prior polio responded on admission to rehabilitation to the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LiSat-11) assessing satisfaction with life as a whole and 10 domains of life satisfaction and to a 13-item questionnaire assessing self-reported impairments related to late effects of polio.

A majority was to some degree satisfied with life as a whole and with all 10 domains of life satisfaction in LiSat-11, but less than 20% was very satisfied or satisfied with their somatic health. Muscle fatigue, muscle weakness, general fatigue, muscle and/or joint pain during physical activity and cold intolerance were the most frequently reported impairments. Overall, those who rated themselves as not satisfied (according to LiSat-11) reported significantly higher degrees of impairment than those who were satisfied. The relationships between the items of life satisfaction in LiSat-11 and the items in the self-report questionnaire varied from -0.01 to -0.64.

Satisfaction with life as a whole, and different domains of life satisfaction are low to moderately associated with self-reported impairments. This implies that rehabilitation interventions must address not only self-reported impairments but also activity limitations and participation restrictions in order to enhance life satisfaction in people with late effects of polio.