Introduction:
Experiencing a satisfactory level of the quality of life by patients with spinal cord injury is regarded as a desirable effect of both rehabilitation activities and the individual’s involvement in the recognition of life opportunities in accordance to own predisposition and limitations. The determination of temporal satisfaction with life allows the estab- lishment of the level of an individual’s satisfaction with his/her past, present, as well as anticipated future. Life satisfaction develops in the context of diverse variables including social support. The functional properties of social support vary depending on its received or expected form. :

Objective:
Determination of the life satisfaction levels (approached temporally) among patients with spinal cord injury, differing with respect to the duration of the acquired injury, with reference to the received and expected social support.

Material and Methods:
The survey involved the total number of 93 respondents with spinal cord injury, including 42 within the first three years after acquiring the injury, and 51 who had possessed the injury for 10-15 years. The methods applied included the Temporal Satisfaction With Life Scale (TSWLS) by Pavot, Diener and Suh as adapted by S. Byra (experimental version) and the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ) by S. Norbeck, transl. J. Kirenko.

Results:
The temporal life satisfaction as well as the received and expected social support in the case of respondents who acquired spinal cord injury in the recent past differ fundamentally from those reported by patients experiencing long-lasting disability. A greater convergence of the received and expected support manifests itself among respondents with long-term spinal cord injuries.

Conclusions:
A relationship is noted between the positive evaluation of the future and the time elapsed from the moment of acquiring a spinal cord injury. Respondents who have suffered from this kind of disability for a longer period are more likely to experience a satisfactory correlation of the support received and that expected from their closest environment.