ADJUSTMENT AFTER SPINAL-CORD INJURY - RELATIONSHIP TO PARTICIPATION IN EMPLOYMENT OR EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

The purpose of this study was to compare the life adjustment of partic ipants with spinal chord injury (SCI) who were either (a) gainfully em ployed, (b) unemployed, but attending school, or (c) unemployed and no t attending school. The Multidimensional Adjustment Profile (MAP) was administered to a sample of 362 participants. Multivariate analyses of variance with follow-up Bonferroni correction was used to compare sco res on seven outcomes scales between the three groups. The employed pa rticipants reported superior adjustment scores to the unemployed/nonst udents on 4 of the 7 scales, but superior scores to the students on on ly one scale-Career Satisfaction. In contrast to the unemployed/nonstu dents, the students reported higher overall adjustment scores and fewe r problems with skills deficit. Results point to the strong associatio n of both education and employment with quality of life after SCI.