Article

An international cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVE: To examine the
quality of life (QoL) of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) across six
countries worldwide, controlling for socio-demographic and lesion-related sample
characteristics and using a cross-culturally valid assessment. METHODS: Data from
243 persons with SCI from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, South Africa and the
United States were analyzed. QoL was measured using five satisfaction items from
the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment. Cross-culturally valid,
Rasch-transformed scores were used for comparison. RESULTS: Analysis of variance
showed a significant difference in QoL between countries (F=3.938; df=5;
P=0.002). Shorter time since injury, no paid employment and living in Brazil were
significant predictors of lower QoL, explaining 13% of variance in linear
regression. Using multilevel regression with country as higher-order variable,
time since injury and paid employment remained significant predictors and
explained 18% of variance in QoL. The intraclass correlation coefficient (0.05)
indicates that 5% of the variability can be accounted for by country. CONCLUSION:
This study showed QoL differences between countries that could not be explained
by differences in demographic and lesion-related characteristics. Results point
to the relevance of reintegration of people with SCI into the workforce. Further
international comparative research using larger samples is recommended.

Langue : ANGLAIS