INTRODUCTION: The presence of emotional disorder (anxiety and depression) may increase comorbidity, disability, and could have the impact on quality of life (QOL) of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). This study was carried out to investigate association between characteristics of patients with (SCI) and each of their emotional disturbance and quality of life.

METHODOLOGY:This study was a cross sectional survey which recruited participant from Murtala Muhammad specialist Hospital Kano, National orthopaedic hospital Dala Kano, and from members of spinal cord injury association Kano chapter through snowball and purposive sampling techniques. Characteristics of patient with SCI (socio-demographic [age, sex, level of education, income, marital status] and clinical [duration of injury, incontinence, sexual function, type of paralysis]) were assessed using a proforma. Beck depression inventory, Hamilton anxiety scale and QOL index for spinal cord injury version III were used to assess for depression, anxiety and QOL respectively. Data obtained was analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square using SPSS Version 20. The level of significant was set as p≤0.05.   RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 50 questionnaires were distributed to the participants, out of which 42 were retrieved back. The study participants were aged 16-60 years. Thirty seven (88.1%) are males, 22 (52.4%) are wheelchair dependent while 66.7% had paraplegia. About 78% of the participants experienced minimal depression, 6 (14.3%) had moderate anxiety while 17 (40.1%) have moderate QoL. There was significant association between emotional disturbance in SCI and each of economic status after injury (P<0.05) and duration of injury (P<0.05) and between QoL and each of marital status post injury (P<0.05) and duration of injury (P<0.05). This study concluded that, most of the study participants experienced minimal level of emotional disturbance and had moderate QoL. The consistent factor that was significantly associated with both emotional disturbance and QoL in this study was the duration of injury.