Abstract
<p>The purpose of this research was to study the relationship between self-acceptance, locus of control, availability of transportation, and the leisure satisfaction of spinal cord injured paraplegics. Traumatic spinal cord injured paraplegics within the State of Florida, who met certain criteria were included in the study. A mailout procedure was utilized and drew eighty-one respondents (54% return). Participants received instruments designed to measure the variables in the study and multiple regression analysis with a "stepwise" procedure was employed as the statistical technique. Self-acceptance accounted for 24% of the variance in leisure satisfaction (p < .01) and 13% of the variance in leisure activity satisfaction (p < .01). Locus of control accounted for 9% of the variance in leisure satisfaction (p < .01) and 2% of the variance in leisure activity satisfaction (non-significant). Availability of transportation accounted for 7% of the variance in leisure satisfaction and less than 1% in leisure activity satisfaction (both non-significant). The three variables taken together accounted for 30% of the variance in leisure satisfaction and 15% of the variance in leisure activity satisfaction. Self-acceptance was found to be the best predictor of both leisure satisfaction and leisure activity satisfaction in spinal cord injured paraplegics. While locus of control was not found to be as good a predictor as self-acceptance, it still was a factor in leisure satisfaction. It was found to be a poor predictor of leisure activity satisfaction. Transportation availability was found to be somewhat of a factor in leisure satisfaction but not in leisure activity satisfaction.</p>