Changes in life satisfaction in persons with spinal cord injury during and after inpatient rehabilitation: adaptation or measurement bias?

This study investigates how people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) perceive their life satisfaction (LS) over time, specifically during and after rehabilitation. The research explores whether changes in reported LS reflect genuine adaptation to their new circumstances or are due to a shift in how they measure or value their life satisfaction. The researchers compared different ways of measuring life satisfaction: how people feel 'now,' how it compares to 'before' the injury, and a retrospective assessment of life satisfaction 'before' the injury. By looking at these different measures, the study aimed to distinguish between adapting to SCI and simply changing how one rates their satisfaction. The study found that changes in life satisfaction scores varied among individuals with SCI, suggesting different pathways of adaptation. Some people showed improvements in their current life satisfaction, while others focused on the difference between their present and past lives. Understanding these patterns can help clinicians better support individuals adjusting to life after SCI.

• 1
  Persons in the low LS trajectory showed increase in the LS ‘now’ score, but not in the LS ‘comparison’ score and retrospective score, suggesting scale recalibration.
• 2
  Persons in the recovery trajectory showed increase in the LS ‘now’ and LS ‘comparison’ scores, but not in the retrospective score, indicating adaptation.
• 3
  Persons in the high LS trajectory showed increase in the ‘comparison’ LS score and decrease in the retrospective score, but no change in the LS ‘now’ score, implying scale recalibration or a healthy rebalancing.