The role of distress and social involvement in quality of life among people with spinal cord injury

Abstract

Quality of life (QOL) is an important topic today, especially in rehabilitation research. Although there is debate on how to define QOL, our model suggests that QOL is a bi-direction model, either positive or negative. This article examines QOL as a dichotomy and how positive or negative experiences affect it. Participants included 125 people with SCI and 140 people without a disability who completed measures on QOL, depression, social interaction, and fatigue. Data were analyzed through use of chi-square, logistic regression, and multiple regression. Results indicated that different experiences can affect different aspects of QOL. It was also found that disability status did not affect how different variables affect QOL. © 2010 Thomas Land Publishers, Inc.