Women with spinal cord injury (SCI) have unique health care needs related to their physical and psychological well-being. These health-related needs that occur after SCI are likely to affect these women's quality of life (QOL) and their satisfaction with life. This study aims to investigate the role of selected factors such as age, time since injury, and neurological status on the health-related QOL and life satisfaction of women with SCI. This study also assesses gender differences across these factors in terms of health-related QOL and life satisfaction. Secondary data analyses were used to determine the association among the selected factors and study outcomes. The sample included 2,887 SCI participants (580 women and 2,307 men) from the SCI Model System's National SCI Statistical Center (NSCISC) database. We used the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form or Health Status Questionnaire (SF-12) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) to measure two types of QOL outcomes. Our findings suggest that women with SCI reported lower levels of mental health-related QOL when compared to men but reported greater overall life satisfaction. Older women with SCI reported lower physical health QOL compared to younger women. Other results, significant findings, and implications are discussed in this article.

age, disability, gender, health status, life satisfaction, mental health, physical health, quality of life, spinal cord injury, women
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