[Factors associated with empowerment in people with a spinal cord injury due to traffic accidents]

Abstract

Objetivo: Analizar la capacidad de empoderamiento de un grupo de personas con lesión medular en función de la edad, el sexo, la condición funcional y la edaden la cual adquirieron la lesión.

Methods: Ninety-four participants with a spinal cord injury (42 tetraplegics and 52 paraplegics) completed the Spanish version of the Rogers, Chamberlin, Ellison and Crean Scale (1997), designed to measure empowerment.

Results: The analyses indicated higher levels of empowerment among women. Persons with tetraplegia whose injury was more longstanding also showed greater empowerment.

Conclusion: This study suggests that the capacity to become empowered can vary and evolve and should therefore be promoted in intervention programs.

Keywords: Accidente de tráfico; Calidad de vida; Disability; Discapacidad; Empoderamiento; Empowerment; Quality of life; Traffic accidents.