title: Use of the SF-36 among persons with spinal cord injury.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the applicability of the SF-36 for assessing health-related quality of life among persons with spinal cord injuries. A sample of 215 persons who had experienced new, traumatic spinal cord injury and who had been discharged from their initial hospitalizations for at least 1 yr were included in the study. Correlations between the SF-36's physical and mental component scores appraised and the relationship of each component to level of neurologic impairment was assessed. As expected, the two components measured separate and distinct constructs; only physical component scores were associated with impairment severity.
authors.affiliation: U-M Model SCI Care System, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0491, USA.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Forchheimer
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McAweeney
authors.forename: Denise G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Tate
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires