The differences in self-esteem, function, and participation between adults with low cervical motor tetraplegia who use power or manual wheelchairs.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the differences between manual and power wheelchair users in terms of self-esteem, function, and participation in persons with a similar motor level of spinal cord injury (SCI).

DESIGN

Descriptive cross-sectional study with a single data collection.

SETTING

General community.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants (N=30) were a convenience sample of adults with self-reported C6 and C7 tetraplegia caused by SCI who are 1 or more years postinjury. Eighteen were manual chair users, and 12 were power chair users.

INTERVENTIONS

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Spinal Cord Independence Measure III (SCIM III) as a measure of function, and the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART) as a measure of participation.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences between manual and power chair users regarding age, time since injury, or length of initial rehabilitation stay. A significant difference was seen between wheelchair groups (F=2.677, P=.038). Multivariate analysis showed the differences to be in the SCIM III (F=11.088, P=.003) and the CHART subcategories Physical (F=7.402, P=.011), Mobility (F=12.894, P=.001), and Occupation (F=5.174, P=.031).

CONCLUSIONS

Manual wheelchair users demonstrated better physical function, mobility, and had a higher employment rate than power wheelchair users based on the SCIM III and CHART in this sample of adults with C6 or C7 motor level tetraplegia.