Psychosocial difficulties in MSers: predictors

What are the predictors for psychological and social predictors in MSers? No prizes for getting the correct answer. #MSBlog #MSResearch

Cieza et al. The psychosocial difficulties in brain disorders that explain short term changes in health outcomes. BMC Psychiatry. 2013 Mar 11;13(1):78.

BACKGROUND: This study identifies a set of psychosocial difficulties that are associated with short term changes in health outcomes across a heterogeneous set of brain disorders, neurological and psychiatric.

METHODS: Longitudinal observational study over approximately 12 weeks with three time points of assessment and 741 patients with depression, bipolar disorders, multiple sclerosis, parkinson's disease, migraine, traumatic brain injury and stroke. The data on disability was collected with the checklist of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. The selected health outcomes were the Short Form 36 and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule. Multilevel models for change were applied controlling for age, gender and disease severity.

RESULTS: The psychosocial difficulties that explain the variability and change over time of the selected health outcomes were energy and drive, sleep, and emotional functions, and a broad range of activities and participation domains, such as solving problems, conversation, areas of mobility and self-care, relationships, community life and recreation and leisure.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are of interest to researchers and clinicians for interventions and health systems planning as they show that in addition to difficulties that are diagnostic criteria of these disorders, there are other difficulties that explain small changes in health outcomes over short periods of time.

"Are you surprised that problems with (1) energy & drive, (2) sleep, (3) emotional functions,(4) problem solving, (5) conversation, (6) areas of mobility, (7) self-care, (8) relationships, (9) community life and (10) recreation & leisure may explain short term changes in health outcomes in MSers?"

"I note sleep has reared its ugly head again in this study. In my opinion, poor sleep is one of the biggest drivers of daytime fatigue and poor quality of life. If you have a sleep problem get it fixed."

"If you have not completed the following screening tool for sleep disorders please do. We are trying to assess how common sleep disorders are in the MSers who regularly read this blog. Once I get 120+ responses I will analyse the results. For those of you who don't want to participate in the survey you can simply download the questionnaire and assess yourself off line; I have loaded the questionnaire onto my slideshare site."



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