Differences in Predictors of Self-Rated Health among People with and without a Disability

Predictors of self-rated health (SRH) for 241 people with permanent long-term physical disabilities were identified and compared to those of 83 people without disabilities. Potential predictors of SRH examined were number of current chronic health conditions, pain, fatigue, functional impairment, and psychosocial variables of depression and community involvement. Predictors for people with a disability were chronic health conditions, pain, fatigue, depression, and community activities. Predictors for the non-disability comparison sample were functional impairment, pain, and depression. For people with a disability a major difference was the non-significance of functional impairment and the influence of community activities on SRH, indicating that declining health is perceived as distinct from function, but strongly associated with the ability to stay active in the community.