Do risk perceptions explain sex differences in community integration and participation after spinal cord injury?

OBJECTIVE: To describe how men and women with spinal cord injury (SCI) rate the risks posed by a set of everyday activities measured using the Risk Inventory for persons with Spinal Cord Injury (RISCI), and to examine whether sex differences are related to community integration and participation. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Metropolitan Detroit. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and forty community-dwelling white and African-American men and women with SCI. OUTCOME MEASURES: RISCI scores, community integration, and level of and satisfaction with community participation. RESULTS: Study participants were just over age 40 years, and had been living with SCI for 10.8 years. One-third were women and 40% were African-American. Results showed women with SCI had higher RISCI scores (perceived more dangers) on every item on the RISCI Scale (P < 0.001). The items perceived to hold greatest risk were revealing personal information to others, going on a blind date, and going for a roll ("walk") alone after dark. Women with higher RISCI scores reported lower community integration (P < 0.05) and lower levels of and lower satisfaction with community participation (P < 0.01). For men, however, RISCI scores were mainly unrelated (except for community integration) to participation measures. CONCLUSION: More research is needed to determine whether the levels of risk perceived by women are warranted and whether a sense of vulnerability for women with SCI is unnecessarily limiting their chances at "a good life" after injury.