The impact of falls and fear of falling on participation, autonomy, and life satisfaction among individuals with spinal cord injury: A brief report

CONTEXT: Qualitative research suggests that falls can have a negative psychosocial impact on the lives of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, it is unclear whether these qualitative findings are supported by quantitative psychosocial metrics. This paper examines whether falling and/or having a fear of falling impacts participation, autonomy, and life satisfaction among individuals with SCI. METHODS: Falls and fear of falling were tracked over six months using a survey and phone check-ins conducted approximately every three to four weeks. The Life Satisfaction 9 and Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaires were administered at baseline and after six months. Responses on the questionnaires were statistically compared between fallers and non-fallers as well as participants with and without a fear of falling during the tracking period. FINDINGS: Of the 65 community-dwelling adults with chronic SCI, 38 were categorized as fallers (aged 54.29 ± 13.73, 19.55 ± 14.20 years post-SCI, AIS A-D) and 27 were non-fallers (aged 57.78 ± 12.21, 17.93 ± 17.24 years post-SCI, AIS A-D). Our results revealed no significant differences between fallers and non-fallers in their perceived participation, autonomy, or life satisfaction at baseline or after six months. At the last check-in, 34 participants denied a fear of falling, while 31 had a fear of falling. Perceived autonomy outdoors (P=0.02), total life satisfaction (P=0.04), satisfaction with life as a whole (P=0.00) and self-care (P=0.01) differed between participants with and without a fear of falling after six months. CONCLUSION: Fear of falling, rather than falls, may impact participation, autonomy, and life satisfaction in the SCI population.