OBJECTIVES: To find the perception of quality of life in people with traumatic spinal cord injury using the methodology adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which a descriptive study was first carried out to better understand the socio-demographic characteristics and the distribution of traumatic spinal cord injury in the sample studied. Afterwards, the WHOQOL-bref was used in order to find the perception of quality of life of that population. Statistical analyses carried out included descriptive analysis of frequency, central trend and dispersion, and inferential analysis of comparison between domains. The study was carried out from January 2005 to May 2006, and included individuals upon their admission to the rehabilitation program of Sarah Hospital in Brasilia. A convenience sample of 111 interviewees was utilized. RESULTS: The individuals who participated in the study were predominantly single young men with elementary-level schooling and who were victims of traffic or firearms accidents. The quality of life study showed that the domains that had the worst evaluation scores were related to environment and physical health, and the best scores were related to psychological health and social relationships. CONCLUSION: The study provided an overview of the perception of quality of life of the studied group. A study that includes quadriplegics and non-traumatic spinal cord injured individuals is recommended in order to obtain a more general evaluation.
Quality of life; spinal cord injury; paraplegics; social adjustment
