Marital status and adjustment 1 year post-spinal-cord-injury

The current study employed a case-control design to examine the impact of m arital status on adjustment among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) 1 year post-injury. Two groups of 53 indivitluals (i.e., single versus mar ried individuals) were matched case-for-case on age (i.e., within 10 years) , education, gender, race, and lesion level. Although not specifically matc hed, etiology of SCI, and number of rehospitalizations and days rehospitali zed during the past year were not significantly different between groups. O utcome measures included the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Craig Handic ap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART), and the SF-12. Results indic ated that overall self-reported QOL was significantly lower among single in dividuals as compared to their matched married counterparts. Similarly, sel f-reported handicap was significantly higher among single individuals, part icularly in the areas of social integration and economic self-sufficiency. In contrast, overall physical and mental health were not different across g roups.