Biopsychosocial factors associated with community reintegration of patients with traumatic spinal cord injury: A retrospective study

Objectives: Recovery following spinal cord injury (SCI) generally takes time and may require different rehabilitation services to facilitate their social participation. This study aims to investigate which bio-psychosocial processes influence the societal inclusion and reintegration of individuals with SCI. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of an anonymized hospital-medical records of individuals with SCI was conducted to screen the biological aspects of their characteristics and secondary conditions following injury; psychological variables – anxiety and depression, community reintegration, and so on. A multiple linear regression analysis with reintegration to normal living as the dependent variable and biopsychosocial variables as independent factors was done. Results: A total of 94 subjects with SCI, whose mean age was 39.2 ± 10.1 years, were analyzed. Age at the time of sustaining SCI ( P < 0.05), secondary conditions following SCI ( P < 0.05), and, psychological traits, depression ( P < 0.05) are the only independent key variables that may be consequential in societal inclusion and integration in SCI individuals. Conclusion: The findings of the study suggest that among a plethora of variables, age at the time of injury, psychological factors, and the prevalence of secondary conditions influence the community reintegration of subjects with SCI.