Abstract
Introduction: Patients’ engagement with their own therapeutic process has been reported to be correlated with improved clinical outcomes. A better comprehension of the relationship between self-management in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and adjustable psychological features may help clinicians with better solutions for MS patients. We evaluated the role of COVID-19-related anxiety in the self-management of MS patients.
Methods: A total number of 153 patients with MS were included in the study. All patients were assessed using three distinct questionnaires including MS Self-Management Scale-Revised (MSSM-R), Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The resulting scores were used to evaluate the study goals.
Results: MS patients didn’t have a high level of COVID-19-related anxiety. General anxiety among the patients was higher than the COVID19-related anxiety. No statistically significant correlation was seen between CDAS and MSSM-R scores (P=0.377). The hierarchical multiple regression showed that the BAI score (b=-0.418, P<0.001) together with the gender as the control variable (b=0.227, P=0.0.002) explained about 24% of the variance in the MSSM-R as the dependent variable. The self-management skills among female married MS patients with a job were drastically higher than in single male patients without a job. Patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and lower disability severity had better self-management (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Overall, our findings favor that anxiety has a vital role in the self-management skills of patients with MS which can lead to the altered state of an individual’s perceived health condition.