Psychological Factors and Health-Related Quality of Life in Upper Extremity Conditions

Recovery following upper extremity musculoskeletal injury is influenced by both physical and psychological factors; however, the role of early psychological responses remains incompletely understood. This thesis aimed to examine how positive and negative psychological characteristics relate to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to explore patients’ emotional experiences following distal radius fracture. A qualitative study (n = 14) explored patients’ early emotional responses, identifying four themes: prior psychological and life context, injury appraisal, social support, and loss of independence with adaptive coping. A quantitative study (n = 390) examined associations between psychological traits and HRQoL using the PAST-PANE, EQ-5D-5L, and EQ-VAS. Negative psychological traits were strongly associated with lower HRQoL, while positive traits showed smaller but significant contributions. Together, findings demonstrate that early psychological responses are shaped by contextual and individual factors and are meaningfully associated with perceived health, supporting the importance of early psychosocial assessment in upper extremity care.

Name thesis:degree_name

M Sc

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Grantor dc:publisher

The University of Western Ontario

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Vafaei, Farnaz

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• MacDermid, Joy

• Upper extremity
• Distal radius fracture
• Health-related quality of life
• psychological factors
• PAST-PANE
• EQ-5D-5L
• EQ-VAS
• Qualitative research.

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution 4.0 International

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/39553

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/39553