Purpose. To determine the relationships between perceived participation and problems in participation, and life satisfaction in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Method. A total of 157 men and women with SCI completed the Swedish versions of the Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire (IPA) and the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LiSat-9). Results. The respondents' perceived participation in the five domains of the IPA was significantly correlated with their satisfaction with life as a whole (P < 0.01) and in most of the eight other domains of life satisfaction (P < 0.05 to P < 0.01) in the LiSat-9. The respondents' life satisfaction decreased gradually with increasing frequency of severe problems in participation and significant differences within groups of increasingly severe problems were found. The level of life satisfaction in respondents that perceived no severe problems with participation was similar to those of a normal population. Conclusions. Perceived participation and problems in participation are determinants of life satisfaction in people with SCI. The results emphasize the importance to focus on severe problems with participation in order to optimize life satisfaction during the rehabilitation after SCI.

Objective: To describe how persons with spinal cord injury perceived their participation in life situations and to determine the relationship between their participation and perceived problems therewith. The purpose was also to evaluate the influence of age, sex, level of injury, time since injury, marital status and access to social support on perceived problems with participation. Design: Cross-sectional. Subjects: One hundred sixty-one persons with spinal cord injury. Methods: A postal questionnaire including socio-demographic characteristics and a Swedish version of the Impact on Participation and Autonomy questionnaire. Results: A majority of the respondents perceived their participation as sufficient in most activities addressed. Still, a majority of the respondents perceived one or more severe problems with their participation. Access to social support was the most influencing variable in predicting perceived severe problems with participation as compared with certain personal and health-related factors. Conclusion: The results suggest that it is important to consider access to social support along with other factors in the person-environment interaction and their influence on severe problems with participation in enhancing clients' participation in rehabilitation.

Many politicians, participants in the public debate, & academic scholars have regarded comprehensive welfare states as incompatible with the policy environment of the late 20th & early 21st centuries. Nordic welfare states are, due to their post-war history, suitable for testing predictions of the durability of comprehensive welfare states. The first purpose of this article is to examine previous research & official statistics on Nordic welfare state development in order to evaluate the proposition that comprehensive welfare states have been or soon will be forced to dismantle or radically reform social programs. The analysis finds weak support for propositions that comprehensive welfare states have been or soon will be subject to sharp downsizing or radical reconstruction. The second purpose is to explore Pierson's (2001) suggestion that cost containment & recalibration were salient dimensions of Nordic social policy making in the 1980s & 1990s. The analysis finds support for Pierson's arguments. However, empirical evidence also suggests that Pierson's analysis does not sufficiently incorporate reorganization of services

For the past two decades, Nordic social policy has been subject to a range of serious challenges, among which economic problems and critiques by neo-classical economists have been most prominent. This article raises the question whether Nordic social policy has significantly changed during this period of challenges. Based on an empirical analysis of social expenditure data and three central social security programs, this article provides evidence that changes in Nordic social policy over this period have, in fact, been relatively minor. Indeed, the four welfare states of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have shown remarkable resilience considering the harsh challenges that they have been exposed to since the early 1980s.

The current trajectory of the Scandinavian welfare states is unclear. However, social policy in the Scandinavian countries is, undoubtedly, in a period of transition. This article's main purpose is to analyze whether Scandinavians' support for the welfare state has played a critical role in this transmission. Based on surveys from Sweden, Norway and Denmark, two conclusions are reached. Firstly, at the highest aggregated level, the Scandinavian welfare states had solid support in the beginning of the 1990s. Secondly, this support was characterized by significant cleavages between social groups. This article also attempts to further the research on the relationship between institutional characteristics and attitudes. The conclusion is that institutional characteristics provide a reliable guidance for an understanding of attitudes towards social policy in the Scandinavian countries

Examines the impact of Sweden's welfare system on its current economic crisis. Cross-national statistical data, 1970-1991, show that if economic success is measured by growth in gross national product, then Sweden's record since the 1970s compares favorably, suggesting that the welfare state should be dismantled. 3 Tables, 4 Graphs, 40 References