Satisfaction with life, health and well-being: comparison between non-traumatic spinal cord dysfunction, traumatic spinal cord injury and Australian norms

Study design Cross-sectional survey. Objectives The objective of this study is to compare self-reported satisfaction with life, and self-reported health and well-being of people with NTSCD, to that of people with TSCI, and with Australian population. Setting Victoria, Australia. Methods Participants completed surveys by post or email. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) were used to assess self-reported satisfaction with life, and health and well-being. Descriptive statistics are reported including median and interquartile range (IQR). The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to investigate differences between groups. Results There were 41 participants: NTSCD (n = 14) and TSCI (n = 27). There were no significant differences in the median scores on the SWLS for NTSCD and TSCI, but both groups scored lower than the Australian non-disabled sample mean. There were significant differences between NTSCD and TSCI for SF-36 domains physical functioning, role limitations physical and vitality (p < 0.05). Median scores for both groups in all eight domains were lower than the means of the comparative Australian sample, except for role limitations emotional. Conclusions There were more apparent difficulties for people with NTSCD in completing desired functional tasks than those with TSCI. Both groups had lower self-reported satisfaction with life, and lower reported health and well-being in comparison to samples of non-disabled Australians.