An exploration of perceived social isolation among persons with spinal cord injury in Ontario, Canada: a qualitative study

Purpose To advance the understanding of perceived social isolation among persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), the objectives of the present study were to explore: (1) experiences of perceived social isolation and (2) factors that contribute to perceived social isolation. Methods Interpretive description qualitative methodology was used to conduct semi-structured interviews with 30 individuals with SCI from across Ontario (Canada) from November 2016 to August 2017. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Participants identified disruption to social networks that seemed to impact perceived social isolation. Five major themes were identified: (1) impact on structure and frequency of social network; (2) importance of feeling heard; (3) importance of employment, hobbies, and sports; (4) need to improve physical accessibility and built environment; and (5) individual characteristics. Changes in quality of social networks, rather than size, contributed to greater feelings of perceived social isolation. The built environment, maintenance of employment, hobbies, and sports, social media, and technology use, as well as individual traits, were also found to impact perceived social isolation. Conclusion Future research should focus on the development of programs to help maintain or improve social network quality for persons with SCI to minimize the impact of perceived social isolation.