Gay M‐C, Vrignaud P, Garitte C, Meunier C. Predictors of depression in multiple sclerosis patients.
Acta Neurol Scand: 2010: 121: 161–170.
© 2010 The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Munksgaard. Depression is one of the major problems associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Several physical and psychological factors tend to interact and make it difficult to pinpoint the predictors of the depression. It seemed particularly important to examine how anxiety and illness evolution (characterized by the functional status) influence the appearance of depression symptoms. Thus, the aim of this article was to clarify the relationship between depression and the factors associated with it. One hundred and fifteen participants living at home recruited through various associations and MS clinics answered socio demographic, medical and psychological questions and questionnaires (depression, anxiety, coping, social support, locus of control, alexithymia, self‐esteem). Results show that functional status (EDSS), trait anxiety, alexithymia and satisfaction with social support system are the predicting factors of depression. Trait anxiety and functional status are two predictors that independently and simultaneously lead to the appearance of depression symptoms, with trait anxiety playing a predominant role. Alexithymia and social support indirectly influence the appearance of these symptoms.

No abstract

No abstract

BackgroundDespite the high comorbidity of anxiety and depression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), little is known about their inter-relationships. Both involve emotional perturbations and the way in which emotions are processed is likely central to both. The aim of the current study was to explore relationships between the domains of mood, emotional processing and coping and to analyse how anxiety affects coping, emotional processing, emotional balance and depression in people with MS.MethodsA cross-sectional questionnaire study involving 189 people with MS with a confirmed diagnosis of MS recruited from three French hospitals. Study participants completed a battery of questionnaires encompassing the following domains: i. anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)); ii. emotional processing (Emotional Processing Scale (EPS-25)); iii. positive and negative emotions (Positive and Negative Emotionality Scale (EPN-31)); iv. alexithymia (Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire) and v. coping (Coping with Health Injuries and Problems-Neuro (CHIP-Neuro) questionnaire. Relationships between these domains were explored using path analysis.ResultsAnxiety was a strong predictor of depression, in both a direct and indirect way, and our model explained 48% of the variance of depression. Gender and functional status (measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale) played a modest role. Non-depressed people with MS reported high levels of negative emotions and low levels of positive emotions. Anxiety also had an indirect impact on depression via one of the subscales of the Emotional Processing Scale (“Unregulated Emotion”) and via negative emotions (EPN-31).ConclusionsThis research confirms that anxiety is a vulnerability factor for depression via both direct and indirect pathways. Anxiety symptoms should therefore be assessed systematically and treated in order to lessen the likelihood of depression symptoms.

No abstract