Student Competition (Knowledge Generation) ID 1984770

Following a traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI), patients prioritize being able to manage their bowels independently. A reduction of independence can impact an individual’s quality of life. The current study investigates the relationships between sphincter control, level of independence and quality of life. We hypothesized that sphincter control would relate strongly to levels of independence and quality of life. Adults with tSCI who consented to participate in the Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry at the Lyndhurst Rehabilitation Centre completed community follow-up interviews from 2014-2021. Data was collected at baseline, year 1, 2 and 5 (n = 330). Descriptive data and neurological level of injury (NLI) were collected, along with the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LiSAT-11), 36-item Short Form Survey Quality of Life measures (SF-36v2) and the Spinal Cord Independence Measure III (SCIM). Separate analyses were conducted for NLI C1-T10 (upper motor neuron [UMN] [n=280]), and T11-S5 (lower motor neuron [LMN] [n=50]). Associations between sphincter management and life satisfaction were calculated using Spearman’s correlation coefficient, adjusted for age and sex. SCIM had a moderate, yet significant relationship with LiSAT-11 (r2=0.48, p<0.001) for LMN, but no relationship for UMN (r2= 0.17, p<0.001). A weak relationship was observed between SCIM and SF-36v2 for LMN (r2=0.30, p=0.014) but no relationship for UMN (r2=0.01, p=0.59). Sphincter management scores after rehabilitation discharge are not a strong predictor of life satisfaction following tSCI suggesting that a multifaceted approach is required to assess an individuals’ quality of life post tSCI.