Is Spending Nights Away From Home Associated With Participation and Life Satisfaction After Spinal Cord Injury? A Longitudinal Perspective

This study explores how participation and life satisfaction change over time following a spinal cord injury (SCI). It examines the relationship between spending nights away from home (travel participation) and social, occupational participation, and overall life satisfaction. The researchers analyzed data from a large, publicly available database spanning from 1996 to 2016. They used statistical models to understand how these factors change over time while considering demographic variables that could influence the results. The findings suggest that while social participation and travel tend to decrease over time for individuals with SCI, life satisfaction can increase. Importantly, spending nights away from home is positively associated with greater social and occupational participation, as well as higher life satisfaction.

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  Travel and social participation declined as people lived longer with SCI.
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  Life satisfaction increased as people lived longer with SCI.
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  Spending nights away from home was significantly and positively associated with social and occupational participation and life satisfaction over time.