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Cognitive function, quality of life, and aging: relationships in individuals with and without spinal cord injury
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Cognitive function, quality of life, and aging: relationships in individuals with and without spinal cord injury

Shauna Dudley-Javoroski, Jinhyun Lee and Richard K. Shields
Physiotherapy theory and practice, Vol.38(1), pp.36-45
01/02/2022
DOI: 10.1080/09593985.2020.1712755
PMCID: PMC7702216
PMID: 31914347
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/7702216View
Open Access

Abstract

Background: Correlations between aging, cognitive impairment and poor quality of life (QOL) have been observed for many patient populations. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine these correlations in individuals with and without spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: 23 individuals with complete SCI and 20 individuals without SCI ("NON") underwent assessment of cognitive function via the NIH Toolbox for Neurological and Behavioral Function. Participants self-rated QOL via global and symptom/domain-specific measures. Results: SCI rated global QOL to be lower than NON for the EQ-5D QALY (p < .001), but not the EQ-5D VAS, which imposes no penalty for wheeled mobility. Low QOL clustered mainly in domains pertaining to physical function/symptoms. Participants with SCI reported high QOL for positive affect/well-being and resilience. Cognitive function in SCI did not differ from NON. However, strong correlations between age and cognition observed in NON (all R 2  > 0.532) were absent in SCI. Significant correlations between cognition and QOL were prevalent for NON but not for SCI. Conclusions: Dissociation of age, cognition and QOL occurred with SCI. Divergence between EQ-5D QALY and VAS suggests that individuals with SCI may recalibrate personal assessments of QOL in ways that minimize the importance of mobility impairment.
Cognition executive function memory participation resilience

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