Predicting Satisfaction with Functioning in Psychosocial Life Areas for People with MS

Background: Health experts have called for researchers to capture the “happiness” of individuals through an assessment of satisfaction with life, a component of subjective wellbeing. This study updates previous research by identifying additional predictors of satisfaction with functioning in psychosocial life areas for people with MS (PWMS).

Objectives: To determine which clinical, social, and demographic variables predict satisfaction with functioning in psychosocial life areas for PWMS.

Methods: We used the Successful Employment and Quality Work Life After Severe Disability dataset, a survey administered by The Center for Rehabilitation Research in Neurological Conditions at the Medical University of South Carolina and the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The dependent variable is the Quality of Life Scale, a 7-item scale developed to assess satisfaction with functioning in psychosocial life areas for people with chronic pain and subsequently validated with PWMS. Our sample included 1,332 PWMS. We used stepwise regressions to determine the best model fit and included variables based on conceptual groupings – Model 1, age-related variables, Model 2, MS and health variables, Model 3, social and demographic variables, Model 4, all variables. We examined variables for both linear and curvilinear relationships with satisfaction.

Results: In model 4, lower satisfaction scores were predicted by: diagnosis with MS at age 40 or older, more severe MS symptoms, lower cognitive function, being a wheelchair user, poorer physical health status, poorer mental health status, being single, and being male. Higher education level and being employed predicted higher satisfaction scores. Of all variables, mental health status was the strongest predictor of satisfaction. Model 4 explained 43.0% of the variance in predicting satisfaction.

Conclusions: Satisfaction with functioning in psychosocial life areas may be an important, easy to administer indicator of subjective wellbeing, or “happiness” for PWMS. Our findings identified new predictors of satisfaction compared to previous studies and show that poorer physical and mental health reduce satisfaction. Our results reinforce the importance of employment and social support for PWMS. These findings support interventions that address mental health for PWMS, including counseling and support groups. Self-management interventions may also help by equipping people with the skills to manage symptoms, thus reducing their impact. Future studies could assess the impact of evidence-based interventions, such as social support groups or counseling on satisfaction with functioning in psychosocial life areas.

Contents of this presentation were developed under grant #90RT5035 from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). The contents of this presentation do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS.