An exploration of the relationship between factors that impact upon participation in everyday activities among people with multiple sclerosis

Background: Multiple Sclerosis can be described as a life-limiting condition, having a profound effect on participation and engagement in everyday activities. Research to date has identified depression, physical impairment,... [ view full abstract ]

Background: Multiple Sclerosis can be described as a life-limiting condition, having a profound effect on participation and engagement in everyday activities. Research to date has identified depression, physical impairment, cognitive dysfunction and pain to be among the predominant barriers to participation. However, little research has been conducted, exploring the relationships between these variables. The aim of this study was to determine whether relationships exist between factors affecting participation in everyday activities and if so, are the links between certain variables greater than others.
Methodology: A sample of thirteen individuals from a local Multiple Sclerosis organisation completed a demographic and illness characteristics questionnaire along with a battery of self-report measures, examining a range of variables including cognition, anxiety, physical function, self-control and coping strategies.
Results: Data analysis identified several statistically significant correlations between different variables. Among these were strong correlations between anxiety and quality of life, depression and physical health, emotional well-being and sexual function and health perceptions and physical function.
Conclusions: Acquiring an understanding of the relationships between these variables might enable both clinicians and therapists to identify specific areas for assessment and ultimately facilitate intervention planning. However, in order to determine whether findings are applicable to the broader population of individuals with MS and if the relationships between the factors affecting participation remain static over time, further research is needed.