Long-term Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury on Social Participation: the Occurrence of Handicap Situations

Purpose: Handicap situations in daily life of persons with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is rarely evaluated in spite of their impact on long-term health. The purpose of the present study was to identify the occurrence of potential handicap situations in individuals with SCI and to determine the potential associations between the level of social participation and some characteristics of the person.

Methods: Four hundred and eighty-two individuals completed a mailed questionnaire that comprised the 'assessment of life habits', a tool developed to assess social participation in persons with disabilities.

Results: Significant disruptions were particularly observed in home maintenance, participation in recreational and physical activities as well as in productive activities and the achievement of sexual relations. However, many individuals successfully achieved various social roles despite the presence of disabilities. No indications of a potential impact of premature ageing on the accomplishment of life habits were observed.

Conclusions: The severity of injury seems to significantly increase the occurrence of handicap situations as the individuals with tetraplegia reported carrying out their life habits with much more difficulty or requiring more assistance than those with a less severe impairment.