title: Health Condition and Quality of Life in Persons with Spinal Cord Injury.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During the last few decades, focus of rehabilitation outcome has been redirected to the lifetime monitoring of quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in quality of life perceptions between participants with spinal cord injury and participants of typical population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional controlled study of 100 adults aged 18-65 years was based on two questionnaires, Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) and Spinal Cord Injury Quality of Life Questionnaire (QL-23), completed by 23 participants with paraplegia, 21 participants with tetraplegia, and 56 participants of typical population. Mann-Whitney U-test for planned comparison between groups and χ(2) test were used to analyze the differences between research groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants from control group perceived their general quality of life at higher level in comparison to participants with spinal cord injury (U=415.000, z=-5.804, P<0.000). Negative influence of spinal cord injury was detected in six domains (physical functioning, physical role, bodily pain, vitality, social functioning, mental health). Statistical differences between participants with paraplegia and participants with tetraplegia only in domain of functional limitations (U=103.000, z=-3.256, P<0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The participants with spinal cord injury perceived both health-related and general quality of life at a lower level in comparison to controls. However, the injury level only partially determined the estimated quality of life.
authors.affiliation: 1. College of Health Studies , Cuprija, Serbia.
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trgovcevic
authors.affiliation: 2. Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research , Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Milicevic
authors.affiliation: 3. Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation, University of Belgrade , Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nedovic
authors.affiliation: 3. Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation, University of Belgrade , Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jovanic
keywords: Health status; Paraplegia; Quality of life; Spinal cord injuries; Tetraplegia