Research brief
Life Satisfaction of People with Physical Disabilities:
Relationship to Personal Assistance, Disability Status, and Handicap

by Margaret A. Nosek, PhD; Marcus J. Fuhrer, PhD; Carol G. Potter, RhD

På Svenska

The ILRU Research and Training Center on Independent Living at The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030; National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892; Division of Rehabilitation Counseling, University of Georgia at Athens, Athens, GA 30601

Sponsor: National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Washington, DC 20202

Purpose

The preponderance of available studies indicates that persons with chronic physical impairments rate their satisfaction with life somewhat lower than nondisabled individuals. To understand how chronic physical conditions affect life satisfaction, this study is intended to explore possible moderating factors that are associated with those conditions and with life satisfaction. Three possible moderating factors were investigated: 1) level of disability, 2) level of handicap, and 3) self-appraised adequacy of personal assistance.

Progress

Staff in eight centers for independent living in Federal Region VI recruited subjects for the study and distributed questionnaire packets. The questionnaire consisted of demographics, the Personal Assistance Satisfaction Index (PASI), the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale (AIMS) to assess disability, the Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART) to assess handicap, and the Life Satisfaction Index-A. Approximately 81 percent of subjects returned surveys and participated in telephone interviews. A sample of 45 respondents used personal assistance. Data analysis is complete.

Results

Self-appraised adequacy of personal assistance in terms of availability, quality, consumer control. and cost was found to be a significant factor in the life satisfaction of people with severe disabilities. Appraisal of personal assistance was not associated with whether assistance was obtained through a formal agency or whether it was provided on a paid or unpaid basis. Life satisfaction was positively related to social integration and occupation, two measures of handicap. Life satisfaction was not related significantly, however, to severity of physical disability. Whereas environmental or social limitations associated with disability had an adverse impact on life satisfaction, functional limitation had little impact. People who were mobile in their homes and communities and involved in occupational and avocational interests were generally satisfied with their lives. These findings suggest that satisfaction with personal assistance positively impacts life satisfaction, an effect that is relatively stable across disability levels.

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