Quality of life of persons with traumatic spinal cord injury in rural Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: a community survey

A cross-sectional survey on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological well-being and quality of life in people with spinal cord injury

BACKGROUND

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has disrupted lives worldwide, affecting individuals from all walks of life. Individuals who have a spinal cord injury (SCI) are also affected by this phenomenon. This survey compares the quality of life (QOL), depression, and anxiety of SCI patients before and during COVID-19 in Wuhan City, China.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey utilized an online questionnaire to assess the QOL, levels of anxiety, and depression among 189 SCI patients admitted to Wuhan Tongji Hospital during pandemic from November 2020 to April 2021. Data before COVID-19 outbreak from November to December 2019 was retrieved from hospital records with the same assessment previously performed in-person or during a follow up visit. However, some participants were excluded for various reasons, such as declining to participate, not being admitted to a rehabilitation program due to the pandemic, or being under 18 years old. The World Health Organization's (WHO) QOL-Brief Version (BREF) and disability (DIS) modules, which focus on disability-related QOL, were used to assess the participants' QOL.

RESULTS

SCI patients had lower QOL scores during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic times. Mean scores on the 12-item DIS module significantly differed before and during the COVID-19 period. Participants showed higher adherence to self-isolation and quarantine measures for high-risk encounters (64.94%), but lower compliance with home disinfection and proper rest practices (23.38%).

CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on the QOL of SCI patients in China, highlighting the urgent requirement for telehealth-based rehabilitation to mitigate its impact. It is crucial to provide essential.

The interrelationship between pain, life satisfaction and mental health in adults with traumatic spinal cord injury, in the context of a developing country

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional, analytical study design using a conveneient sampling strategy.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the interrelationship between pain, life satisfaction and indices of negative mental well-being amongst the traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) population.

SETTING

Western Cape Rehabilitation Center in Cape Town, South Africa.

METHODS

Participants (n = 70) were adults (mean age of 36.3, SD = 9.2) with TSCI. Participants completed the following instruments: 10 satisfaction items from the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version, short forms of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a one-item measure of pain intensity taken from the International Spinal Cord Injury Pain Basic Data Set and the interference scale of the Brief Pain Inventory.

RESULTS

Correlational analysis (Pearson r) demonstrated that all the indices of mental well-being as well as the two indices of pain was significantly negatively related to life satisfaction. In addition, life satisfaction mediated the relationship between pain intensity and depression as well as anxiety. Life satisfaction only mediated the relationship between pain interference and depression but not anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

An improvement in life satisfaction may lead to improvements in pain interference, pain intensity as well as psychological distress, amongst persons suffering from TSCI Future research should focus on assessing measures/treatment which may improve life satisfaction in the TSCI population.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacts all domains of quality of life in Egyptians with spinal cord injury: a retrospective longitudinal study

Background and objective

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several aspects of life have been affected. These aspects have been impacted especially in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). The current study explored the overall effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life (QOL) domains in persons with SCI as well as evaluated their adherence to WHO-COVID 19-preventive measures.

Design

A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted after asking participants to complete an online validated Arabic version of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaires including their demographics. The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaires were completed targeting two separate occasions to represent their scores prior to and during the pandemic. Participants were asked to rate their adherence to WHO-COVID-19 preventive measures on a 10-point scale.

Setting and participants

115 participants with complete/ incomplete SCI were recruited via social media and contacted by phone to complete the questionnaires.

Results

Persons with SCI had lower QOL scores during the COVID-19 period compared to their QOL during the pre-COVID-19 period; all QOL domains (Physical Health, Psychological, Social Relationships, and Environment) showed a significant decrease (P < 0.001). Regarding COVID-19 preventative measures, participants were most likely to endorse self-isolation as well as staying home measures and least likely to adhere to hand washing and social distancing measures.

Conclusion

The robustly reduced QOL reported by individuals with SCI during the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for rehabilitation and mental health services, particularly administered via telehealth, to buffer the effects of the pandemic. Additionally, psychoeducation and support regarding COVID-19 preventative behaviors in this region would be critical.