Secondary Health Conditions and Social Role Satisfaction in Adults with Long-term Physical Disability

Health Psychol, 2019 · DOI: 10.1037/hea0000671 · Published: May 1, 2019

Rehabilitation Disability Social Support

Simple Explanation

Individuals with physical disabilities often face additional health problems, known as secondary health conditions (SHCs), that are not a direct result of their primary condition. These SHCs can impact their ability to participate in social activities. This study investigates how secondary health conditions, along with other factors like functional limitations and medical comorbidities, affect social role participation in adults with chronic physical conditions over a three-year period. The findings suggest that addressing psychological aspects of secondary health conditions, such as mood and energy problems, may be as crucial as managing functional impairments for promoting long-term social health in people with disabilities.

Study Duration

~3 years

Participants

1540 community-dwelling adults with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, or postpoliomyelitis syndrome

Evidence Level

Longitudinal survey study

Key Findings

1
Secondary health conditions, functional impairments, and chronic medical comorbidities collectively accounted for 52% of the variance in satisfaction with social roles at the beginning of the study.
2
These variables accounted for only 3% of the variance in changes in satisfaction with social roles over the three-year study period.
3
Functional limitations and psychologically oriented secondary conditions were identified as the strongest predictors of satisfaction with social roles.

Research Summary

The study examined the relationship between secondary health conditions (SHCs), functional limitations, chronic medical comorbidities (CMCs), and satisfaction with social roles in adults with chronic physical disabilities. The results indicated that SHCs, functional impairments, and CMCs significantly influenced social role satisfaction, with functional limitations and mood-related SHCs being the strongest predictors. Contrary to expectations, age did not moderate the relationship between health domains and social role satisfaction, emphasizing the importance of addressing psychological SHCs and functional impairments across the lifespan to promote social function.

Practical Implications

Clinical Practice

A multidisciplinary approach to treatment should be emphasized, integrating psychological treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy with traditional biomedical approaches to address both physical and psychological aspects of secondary health conditions.

Public Policy

Public policy research should explore tailoring self-management programs for individuals with chronic physical disabilities, focusing on self-management techniques that address specific secondary health conditions.

Future Research

Further research is needed to compare different theoretical categories of SHCs and their influence on health outcomes, particularly using experimental designs to evaluate causal relationships between changes in psychosocial SHCs/functional impairment and social role satisfaction.

Study Limitations

1
The sample is predominantly white and highly educated, limiting generalizability to more diverse populations.
2
The study used a convenience sample, which is subject to response bias.
3
Missing data appeared to be somewhat systematic, with those having missing data at T2 being slightly worse off regarding physical symptoms, function, and social role satisfaction.

Your Feedback

Was this summary helpful?

Back to Rehabilitation