Pavol Mikula1, Iveta Nagyova2, Martina Krokavcova3, Marianna Vitkova4, Jaroslav Rosenberger2, Jarmila Szilasiova5, Zuzana Gdovinova5, Johan W Groothoff6, Jitse P van Dijk7. 1. Institute of Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia; Graduate School - Kosice Institute for Society and Health, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia. Electronic address: pavol.mikula@upjs.sk. 2. Institute of Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia; Graduate School - Kosice Institute for Society and Health, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia. 3. Institute of Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia; Graduate School - Kosice Institute for Society and Health, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia; 1st Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia. 4. Graduate School - Kosice Institute for Society and Health, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia; Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia. 5. Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia. 6. Department of Community and Occupational Health, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. 7. Graduate School - Kosice Institute for Society and Health, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia; Department of Community and Occupational Health, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Social participation is an integral part of everyday life in society; however, evidence about its association with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is lacking. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore whether social participation is associated with the Physical Component Summary of HRQoL (PCS) and Mental Component Summary of HRQoL (MCS) in people with MS, controlled for age, gender, disease severity and disease duration. METHODS: The sample consisted of 116 consecutive people with MS (response rate: 75.8%; 72.4% women; mean age 40.3 ± 9.8). People with MS completed the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) for measuring PCS and MCS and the Participation Scale, which measures the level of social participation. Disability was assessed using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The associations between social participation, PCS and MCS, were analyzed using linear regression that controlled for sociodemographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: PCS was significantly associated with age, disease duration, EDSS and social participation. MCS did not show significant association with the studied variables. Overall, a multiple regression model explained 48% of the PCS variance, while the proportion of MCS variance explained was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Social participation was significantly associated with PCS, suggesting a possibility for intervention in this domain.
BACKGROUND:Social participation is an integral part of everyday life in society; however, evidence about its association with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is lacking. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore whether social participation is associated with the Physical Component Summary of HRQoL (PCS) and Mental Component Summary of HRQoL (MCS) in people with MS, controlled for age, gender, disease severity and disease duration. METHODS: The sample consisted of 116 consecutive people with MS (response rate: 75.8%; 72.4% women; mean age 40.3 ± 9.8). People with MS completed the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) for measuring PCS and MCS and the Participation Scale, which measures the level of social participation. Disability was assessed using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The associations between social participation, PCS and MCS, were analyzed using linear regression that controlled for sociodemographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: PCS was significantly associated with age, disease duration, EDSS and social participation. MCS did not show significant association with the studied variables. Overall, a multiple regression model explained 48% of the PCS variance, while the proportion of MCS variance explained was not significant. CONCLUSIONS:Social participation was significantly associated with PCS, suggesting a possibility for intervention in this domain.