title: The relationship between physical and mental health variables in individuals with spinal cord injury from Latin America.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous research has examined the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and mental health of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), but the majority of the research has taken place in the United States, Western Europe, and other developed countries. Limited research has been conducted with persons with SCI in Latin America.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between HRQOL and mental health in persons with SCI from Neiva, Colombia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were recruited from the Foundation for the Integral Development of People with Disabilities, a nonprofit community organization for persons with disabilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty persons with SCI from Neiva, Colombia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Caregivers completed the Spanish versions of questionnaires.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants completed self-report measures of HRQOL (SF-36 Health Questionnaire) and mental health (Satisfaction with Life Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and State Trait Anxiety Inventory).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The hypothesis that higher HRQOL would be related to better mental health found robust support, as the canonical correlation between these 2 sets of variables uncovered that 50.4% of the variance was shared, such that persons with lower HRQOL had reduced mental health. Within this canonical correlation, anxiety, fatigue, and general health loaded most highly, suggesting that persons with SCI who experienced lower energy and reduced general health tended to have high anxiety. Additionally, 9 out of the 18 bivariate correlations between these 2 variable sets were statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Latin America, SCI rehabilitation services are extremely sparse and rarely include interventions that target postinjury mental health. The current study suggests that mental health issues in patients with reduced HRQOL warrant attention in SCI rehabilitation services, especially in this region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA(∗).
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA(†).
authors.forename: Leia A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Harper
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA(‡).
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Perrin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Surcolombiana University, Neiva, Colombia(§).
authors.forename: Silvia Leonor
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Olivera
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Neiva, Colombia(¶).
authors.forename: Jose Libardo
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Perdomo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Neiva, Colombia(#).
authors.forename: Jose Anselmo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Arango
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Deusto, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao 48007, Spain(∗∗). Electronic address: jcarango@deusto.es.
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Arango-Lasprilla
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires