title: Social skills: a resource for more social support, lower depression levels, higher quality of life, and participation in individuals with spinal cord injury?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relevance of social skills and their different dimensions (ie, expressivity, sensitivity, control) in relation to social support, depression, participation, and quality of life (QOL) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data collection within the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-based.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individuals with SCI (N=503).
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Depression, participation, and QOL were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation-Participation, and 5 selected items of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale. The Social Skills Inventory and the Social Support Questionnaire were used to assess social skills (expressivity, sensitivity, control) and social support, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Structural equation modeling was conducted. In model 1 (χ(2)=27.81; df=19; P=.087; root mean square error of approximation=.033; 90% confidence interval=.000-.052), social skills as a latent variable was related to social support (β=.31; R(2)=.10), depression (β=-.31; total R(2)=.42), and QOL (β=.46; R(2)=.25). Social support partially mediated the effect of social skills on QOL (indirect effect: β=.04; P=.02) but not on depression or participation. In model 2 (χ(2)=27.96; df=19; P=.084; root mean square error of approximation=.031; 90% confidence interval=.000-.053), the social skills dimension expressivity showed a path coefficient of β=.20 to social support and β=.18 to QOL. Sensitivity showed a negative path coefficient to QOL (β=-.15) and control a path coefficient of β=-.15 to depression and β=.24 to QOL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Social skills are a resource related to more social support, lower depression scores, and higher QOL.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Paraplegic Research (SPF), Nottwil, Switzerland; Unit for Biopsychosocial Health, Chair for Public Health and Health Care Research, Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. Electronic address: rachel.mueller@paraplegie.ch.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Swiss Paraplegic Research (SPF), Nottwil, Switzerland; Unit for Biopsychosocial Health, Chair for Public Health and Health Care Research, Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peter
authors.affiliation: Swiss Paraplegic Research (SPF), Nottwil, Switzerland; Unit for Biopsychosocial Health, Chair for Public Health and Health Care Research, Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Alarcos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cieza
authors.affiliation: Swiss Paraplegic Research (SPF), Nottwil, Switzerland; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus and Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht and De Hoogstraat, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marcel W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Post
authors.affiliation: Swiss Paraplegic Research (SPF), Nottwil, Switzerland; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus and Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht and De Hoogstraat, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Christel M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Van Leeuwen
authors.affiliation: Psychological Methods, Evaluation and Statistics, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christina S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.affiliation: Swiss Paraplegic Research (SPF), Nottwil, Switzerland; Department of Health Sciences and Health Policy, University of Lucerne, Luzern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Szilvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Geyh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D058992:Social Participation; D066107:Social Skills; D012944:Social Support; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland
keywords: Depression; Quality of life; Rehabilitation; Social support; Spinal cord injuries