Author(s)

Yoshimasa Matsuura, Shinichi Demura, Yoshiharu Tanaka, Hiroki Sugiura

Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan.
Graduate School of Natural Science& Technology, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
Research Organization for University-Community Collaboration, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan.

Many studies about the health problems of persons with physical disabilities have been performed, however few studies have focused on the life circumstances of persons with physical disabilities. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between stress and the life circumstances of persons with congenital physical disabilities who must use wheelchairs. The participants were 70 individuals who used the services of care workers employed by welfare service business offices. Participants used wheelchairs. In addition, those participants who used a standard manual wheelchair were not able to operate it alone. Participants were required to answer a two-part questionnaire with questions about factors related to basic lifestyle and stress, and about life factors related to the stress of individuals with physical disabilities. No significant relationship between lifestyle and stress was found in either males or females. Most persons with congenital physical disabilities using wheelchairs had some kind of stress in daily life. In particular, significantly more level of stress was found in females (90%) than that in males (65%). Levels of stress according to life factor differed between males and females. The most dramatic gender difference was that the level of stress caused by the mental or mind factor in females was significantly higher than that in males (p < 0.05). Most persons who must use wheelchairs have stress resulting from daily life, and in particular, females experience more mental stress than males.

Life Habit; Persons with Physical Disabilities; Stress

Matsuura, Y. , Demura, S. , Tanaka, Y. and Sugiura, H. (2012) Basic studies on life circumstances and stress in persons with congenital physical disabilities using always wheelchairs. Health, 4, 1073-1081. doi: 10.4236/health.2012.411164.