Abstract
BACKGROUND: Traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) affects quality of life (QoL) depending on the severity and access to rehabilitation. A good QoL is of paramount importance for TSCI survivors all over the world. OBJECTIVE: To assess the QoL of TSCI survivors after one year. METHODS: Adults were included who by the time of injury were 18 years or above and registered in a previous epidemiological study. "The International Spinal Cord Injury Quality of Life" standard data set was used to collect data and assess overall QoL (range 0-30) and three domains: satisfaction with life as a whole, physical- and psychological health (range 0-10). A telephone interview was conducted with 58 participants. RESULTS: The overall mean score of QoL was 13.12 (SD 7.17), satisfaction with life as a whole 3.91 (SD 2.73), psychological health 5.36 (SD 2.95), and physical health 3.84 (SD 2.59). Marital status significantly influenced overall QoL (P = 0.031) and its two domains; satisfaction with life as a whole (P = 0.037) and satisfaction with physical health (P = 0.022). Linear regression analysis showed that being married or widowed predicted poor QoL. CONCLUSION: Low scores of overall QoL and its domains implying poor QoL and marital status may play a role, hence it is important to take it into consideration when treating patient with TSCI.