Ageing with spinal cord injury: the impact of spousal support

Purpose: Research has offered ample evidence that spousal support can be se en as an important contributing factor to the ongoing health and well-being of ageing individuals, whether or not they have a spinal cord injury (SCI) or disability. In fact, spouses may be the most important element in succe ssful rehabilitation and long-term home care for people with spinal cord in juries. This longitudinal study, which describes 225 British SCI long-term survivors, offers insight into marital status and its impact on general qua lity of life, depression, stress and community integration for individuals with SCI. Results: The results demonstrate married individuals having less depression , greater life satisfaction and psychological wellbeing, and having better perceived quality of life. When controlling for age, duration of injury, an d gender, marital status was a significant predictor of better perceived li fe satisfaction and quality of life.