Psychological Health in Late Effects of Poliomyelitis: Ten-Year Follow-Up

Abstract

Background: Individuals with late effects of poliomyelitis (LEoP) cope with various physical and psychological symptoms throughout their entire life which become more severe as they are ageing. Objectives: To perform a 10-year follow-up of the functional status and levels of psychological health of individuals with LEoP and to examine the associations of hope levels, work status, health perceptions, and life satisfaction with functional and psychological changes. Design: A within-subject 10-year follow-up study. Participants: Eighty-two individuals with LEoP who participated in a previous study 10 years ago. Methods: Outcome measures included the functional status of individuals with LEoP assessed by the activities of daily living (ADL) questionnaire, emotional distress based on the Global Health Questionnaire (GHQ), hope based on the Hope Scale, life satisfaction as measured by the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and subjective health perception. The McNemar test, paired t-test, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and linear regression were used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean age was 66.9 ± 8.5 years with a male–female ratio of 0.52. A significant functional deterioration was noticed during the follow-up years. Yet, the functional deterioration was not associated with changes in psychological health. Psychological health was associated with elevated levels of hope and life satisfaction. Individuals with LEoP who continued to work demonstrated higher psychological health, higher levels of hope, and greater life satisfaction. Conclusions: Individuals with LEoP demonstrated significant psychological health, manifested in their ability to block emotional distress and maintain life satisfaction despite the deterioration in their functional status. Hope and psychological health were associated with increased life satisfaction. Work appeared to be a significant source of psychological health in this population.