Spinal cord injuries : clinical, functional, and emotional status

• Published in: Spine (Philadelphia, Pa. 1976) Pa. 1976), 1991, Vol.16 (1), p.78-83
• Main Authors: LUNDQVIST, C, SIOÊSTEEN, A, BLOMSTRAND, C, LIND, B, SULLIVAN, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Attitude to Health; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Emotions; Female; Humans; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Male; Medical sciences; Mood Disorders - epidemiology; Paraplegia - psychology; Quadriplegia - psychology; Quality of Life; Spinal Cord Injuries - epidemiology; Spinal Cord Injuries - psychology; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
• ISSN: 0362-2436; 1528-1159
• DOI: 10.1097/00007632-199101000-00014

Ninety-eight patients with traumatic spinal cord injury, at a median age of 33.5 years (range, 16-72 years), with nonremarkable distributions of neurologic characteristics were investigated at a median of 2.3 years (range, 0.1-23 years) after injury. Functioning, mood disturbances, and overall quality of life were recorded with established self-assessment instruments. Physical dysfunction levels were moderate, being proportionate to neurologic impairment. Psychosocial functions, mood states, and quality-of-life perceptions did not differ from those of a control population sample. Psychosocial function and mood disturbances varied greatly during the first 4 years after injury, but patients' later recordings expressed predominantly a balanced emotional state and a rewarding social life. Progress in this direction consisted of clearly lessened physical dysfunction 1 year after injury and better psychosocial function and well-being after 2 years, whereas patterns of social activities and contacts became gradually less inhibited during a 4-year period after injury. Analysis of complications in patients' histories that affected function and mood showed severe pain to be the only complication that related to lower quality-of-life scores. Urinary incontinence and infection and autonomous dysreflexia related to inhibited self-care performance; spasticity related to impaired ambulation and feeding skills. Gainful employment was the only demographic factor linked to high quality-of-life scores.