Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a leading cause of physical disability and physical, functional, and psychosocial outcomes vary among persons with... Show moreSpinal cord injury (SCI) is a leading cause of physical disability and physical, functional, and psychosocial outcomes vary among persons with SCI. Persons with SCI are at risk for poor psychosocial adjustment, evidenced by higher rates of mood disorders and lower reported life satisfaction (LS) when compared to the general population. LS among persons with SCI is influenced by sociodemographic, injury-related, and psychosocial factors. Implicit theory of willpower (TOW) refers to individuals’ beliefs about their capacity for self-regulation; specifically, whether or not self-regulatory capacity (i.e., willpower) is depleted with use. TOW has previously been associated with LS and other aspects of subjective well-being. This is the first study to assess TOW among persons with SCI, and aims to investigate the association between TOW and LS among persons with SCI. The study sample consisted of 156 adults with SCI who completed an anonymous online questionnaire. Associations between demographic- and disability-related factors, global perceived stress, TOW, engagement coping, disengagement coping, and LS were assessed via bivariate Pearson correlations and a 3-block hierarchical multiple linear regression with LS as the primary outcome. LS was significantly correlated with age, perceived physical health, self-reported participation, and perceived stress. After controlling for the influence of other variables, age, perceived physical health, and perceived stress were significantly associated with LS, consistent with prior work. Neither TOW nor the interaction between perceived stress and TOW were significantly associated with LS. Post hoc analyses suggest a chronic disability population may have different interpretations of the TOW construct or measure items than populations previously investigated. Clinical implications and future directions for research are discussed. Show less
