The Role of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Self-Efficacy Beliefs on the Quality of Life of Patients With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Background: Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and its post-traumatic stress remarkably influence the patients&rsquo; Quality of Life (QOL). Besides, some health determinants such as self-efficacy beliefs can change QOL of patients, too. Objectives: To determine the role of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and self-efficacy beliefs on the QOL after traumatic SCI. Materials & Methods: Out of 133 SCI patients studied from Spinal Cord Injury Center of Rasht City (North of Iran), 90 qualified for this cross-sectional study. A senior psychologist conducted structured interviews for 70 people at the center and another 20 patients at their homes, because of their inability to come to the center. Data collection instruments were researcher-made questionnaire containing both individual-social and lesion-related variables, post-traumatic stress scale for DSM-5, Sherer general self-efficacy questionnaire and the SCIQL-23 (Spinal Cord Injury Quality-of-Life-23) questionnaire (to assess the QOL in patients with SCI). The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS through the Pearson correlation coefficient, Independent student t test and hierarchical regression analysis (after adjusting confounding demographic factors). Results: Correlation coefficients showed that the QOL of SCI patients decreases (P<0.0001) with an increase in symptoms of PTSD and improves (P<0.0001) with increasing self-efficacy beliefs. Hierarchical regression analysis also revealed that after removing the effect of the confounding variables (duration of lesion, gender, type of lesion, having a bedsore, catheter, nurse, diaper, wheelchair), signs of PTSD (F=7.38, P<0.0001) and self-efficacy beliefs (F=18.35, P<0.0001) significantly explained 66% of the total variance of SCIQL-23 scores. Conclusion: The results of this research stresses on the prevention and treatment of PTSD and promoting self-efficacy beliefs in SCI patients in order to improve their QOL.