Subjective well-being and satisfaction with life in adults with spastic cerebral palsy: a pilot study of a randomized sample

The aim of this study was to explore subjective well-being and satisfaction with life in general and with participation, activities, and health, in adults with cerebral palsy (CP). A randomized sample of 50 individuals was drawn from a sample of 465 previous outpatients of a regional social paediatric centre in southern Germany. A psychological measure for well-being (Bern Questionnaire on Subjective Well-Being, adult form [BSW/A]) and a sociomedical measure (Life Satisfaction Checklist [LiSat-11]) were applied as outcome measures. Twenty-five individuals from 35 responders (nine males, 16 females; mean age 28y, SD 2y 7mo, range 25-33y) were evaluated completely. Nineteen participants had bilateral and six had unilateral spastic types of CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System Levels I n=5, II n=5, III n=5, IV n=8, and V n=2). Eighteen individuals had no or only minor intellectual disabilities. Subjective well-being and general satisfaction with life were not impaired in adults with CP. Joy of life (a subscale of the BSW/A) was even increased. Satisfaction with some areas of participation was reduced compared with a reference and clinical samples from Sweden. In conclusion, subjective well-being and general satisfaction with life are not decreased in adults with CP. The different levels of satisfaction with areas of participation in German and Swedish individuals with CP may be explained by differences of social inclusion.