Spinal cord injury: 10 and 15 years after.

Researchers have only recently begun to study the problems and adaptations of persons who have lived with spinal cord injury (SCI) for many years. This descriptive study examined recent functional changes and perceptions regarding the quality of life in 43 SCI persons who were 10 or 15 years post injury; 31 percent of the 137 persons surveyed (by mail) responded. On a general rating of quality of life, neither level nor completeness of injury was a significant factor. Subjects who were in a preferred current living situation had a significantly better perceived quality of life (t = -3.2, p < .01); employment did not similarly affect quality of life ratings. There was no significant Spearman correlation between quality of life and the number of recent changes experienced in daily functioning (rs = .17); likewise, quality of life was not related to involvement in exercise or other recreational activities. The nature of the changes most often experienced, as well as factors that persons saw as helping to maintain their independence, are described.