Article

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relevance of social skills and their different
dimensions (ie, expressivity, sensitivity, control) in relation to social
support, depression, participation, and quality of life (QOL) in individuals with
spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: Cross-sectional data collection within the
Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort. SETTING: Community-based. PARTICIPANTS:
Individuals with SCI (N=503). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Depression, participation, and QOL were measured using the Hospital
Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of
Rehabilitation-Participation, and 5 selected items of the World Health
Organization Quality of Life Scale. The Social Skills Inventory and the Social
Support Questionnaire were used to assess social skills (expressivity,
sensitivity, control) and social support, respectively. RESULTS: Structural
equation modeling was conducted. In model 1 (chi(2)=27.81; df=19; P=.087; root
mean square error of approximation=.033; 90% confidence interval=.000-.052),
social skills as a latent variable was related to social support (beta=.31;
R(2)=.10), depression (beta=-.31; total R(2)=.42), and QOL (beta=.46; R(2)=.25).
Social support partially mediated the effect of social skills on QOL (indirect
effect: beta=.04; P=.02) but not on depression or participation. In model 2
(chi(2)=27.96; df=19; P=.084; root mean square error of approximation=.031; 90%
confidence interval=.000-.053), the social skills dimension expressivity showed a
path coefficient of beta=.20 to social support and beta=.18 to QOL. Sensitivity
showed a negative path coefficient to QOL (beta=-.15) and control a path
coefficient of beta=-.15 to depression and beta=.24 to QOL. CONCLUSIONS: Social
skills are a resource related to more social support, lower depression scores,
and higher QOL.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS