Participants
Participants in this study were 130 adults with SCI who
completed a return-by-mail survey asking about SCI-related
pain, coping efforts, comorbid health problems
and overall quality of life, and who reported ongoing
chronic pain problems. The procedure was approved by
the University of Washington Institutional Review Board,
and informed consent was obtained from each participant.
Previous data from this survey concerning the frequency
and impact of the pain in the sample have previously
been reported.19 The participants were primarily
Caucasian (89.5%), men (71.5%), and were an average of
10.1 years from their injury (SD 10.0). They ranged in
age from 18 to 82 years (M 45), and the majority reported
completing at least a high school education
(95.4%). Fifty-nine percent reported being unemployed
due to disability, whereas only 29% reported either fulltime
or part-time employment. Thirty-five percent reported
complete SCI, and the most common levels of
injury were at C5-C7 (25%) and T10-L1 (20%). Demographic
and clinical variables for these participants are
reported in Table 1.