Department of Physiotherapy, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.
Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Physiotherapy, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
Disabil Rehabil. 2022 May;44(10):2020-2026. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2020.1827051. Epub 2020 Oct 5.
To identify contextual factors and injury characteristics influencing the quality of life (QoL) among individuals who sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) in South Africa.
We carried out a cross-sectional survey to examined the influence of contextual factors and injury characteristics on quality of life among 108 conveniently selected community-dwelling adults between the ages of 19 and 71 years old, who sustained a TSCI more than 1 year post-injury.
Multivariate regression analysis resulted in three significant independent variables (gender, employment, and time living with the injury) that explained 38.1% of the variance in the model, of which being employed and living with a TSCI between 11 and 15 years were the strongest factors influencing the overall and each domain of quality of life.
Our results highlight that employment plays an important role in QoL for individuals who sustained a TSCI. They also suggest that increased time since the injury is most likely to provide individuals an opportunity to develop efficient coping strategies, allowing for greater overall adjustment and life satisfaction, leading to a better quality of life.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONSince the time of the injury was found to be improved QoL, there is a need to improve the health care system of Individuals with SCI.As the employment is a significant factor positively influencing QoL, vocational rehabilitation programs should be included during the rehabilitation processes.Rehabilitation stakeholders need to continue lobbying for social and political changes that support expanded employment options for individuals who sustained a TSCI in order to improve their quality of life.
确定影响南非创伤性脊髓损伤（TSCI）患者生活质量（QoL）的背景因素和损伤特征。
我们进行了一项横断面调查，以检查 108 名年龄在 19 至 71 岁之间、受伤后超过 1 年、居住在社区的成年人的背景因素和损伤特征对生活质量的影响。
多变量回归分析产生了三个显著的独立变量（性别、就业和与损伤共同生活的时间），它们解释了模型中 38.1%的方差，其中就业和与损伤共同生活 11 至 15 年是影响整体和生活质量各个领域的最强因素。
我们的结果强调，就业对 TSCI 患者的 QoL 起着重要作用。它们还表明，随着时间的推移，受伤的时间很可能为个人提供发展有效应对策略的机会，从而实现更好的整体调整和生活满意度，进而提高生活质量。
由于受伤时间与 QoL 的改善有关，因此需要改善 SCI 患者的医疗保健系统。由于就业是积极影响 QoL 的重要因素，因此应在康复过程中纳入职业康复计划。康复利益相关者需要继续游说社会和政治变革，以支持扩大 TSCI 患者的就业选择，从而提高他们的生活质量。
