Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Spinal cord injury (SCI) can lead to significant physical and psychological challenges, including anxiety and depression. Occupational balance (OB) is a fundamental concept in occupational therapy, but its relationship with mental health in the SCI population is not well understood. This study aimed to describe the relationship between occupational balance and anxiety and depression in people with SCI. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 52 participants with SCI, recruited from rehabilitation centers in Tehran and Hamadan. Some participants had cervical lesions, others had thoracic lesions, and the rest had lumbar lesions. Data were collected using the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), the Occupational Balance Questionnaire-11 (OBQ11-P), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and a demographic information questionnaire. RESULTS: Participants showed a mean OBQ11-P score of 18.45, indicating a moderate to slightly high level of occupational balance. Anxiety and depression levels were generally mild. A significant negative correlation was found between OB and anxiety (r = -0.519, p < 0.001), while the relationship between OB and depression was not significant (r = -0.20, p = 0.164). The mean MMSE score recorded was 28.61. CONCLUSION: Higher occupational balance was associated with lower anxiety levels in individuals with SCI. This highlights the importance of addressing OB in occupational therapy interventions to potentially reduce anxiety symptoms. Future studies should consider additional factors such as time since injury and economic status to further elucidate the relationship between OB and depression.