Affiliations: [a] Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| [b] Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Richmond, VA, USA
| [c] Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| [d] Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: James M. Bjork, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, 203 E Cary St Room 202, Richmond, VA 20219, USA. E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Low Quality of Life (QoL) in persons with paraplegia may stem from impulsive behaviors. Impulsivity in persons with paraplegia and persistently low QoL has seldom been probed but could be targeted with cognitive behavioral therapies. OBJECTIVE:Determine how task-assessed and self-report impulsivity relate to quality of life (QoL) in adults with paraplegia. METHODS:In a preliminary study, 33 adults with paraplegia after traumatic SCI were administered verbal interviews on QoL from the PROMIS item bank at baseline and at six-month follow-up, along with several computerized metrics of impulsivity at baseline. RESULTS:A cluster of (n = 10) participants characterized by high levels of negative affect and low levels of resilience and life satisfaction across both baseline and follow-up showed significantly greater negative urgency impulsivity (p = 0.007) as well as significantly lower mindfulness and self-care in some domains (all p < 0.05), compared to the cluster of participants (n = 23) who showed higher life satisfaction and resilience. Behavioral metrics of delay discounting and rapid-response (motoric) impulsivity did not significantly differ (all p > 0.05) between the two clusters of participants. CONCLUSIONS:These data suggest that novel interventions that reduce trait impulsivity in other disorders could be applied to potentially reduce risk for reduced self-care and QoL in individuals with paraplegia.
Keywords: Paraplegia, quality of life, impulsivity, spinal cord injury
