A case-control study of psychosocial factors and their relationship to impairment and functionality in multiple sclerosis

Abstract

The stress effect on multiple sclerosis remains unclear. Moderating psychosocial factors may be involved. This study compares some of them in people with multiple sclerosis and healthy controls, and their association with disease parameters. Coping style, social support, anxiety, alexithymia and early-life stress were measured, along with impairment and functionality. People with multiple sclerosis scored significantly higher on anxiety, alexithymia, and avoidance and instinctive coping but lower in social support. No differences were found in earlylife stress. Impairment was related to avoidance, and functionality to avoidance and anxiety. Psychotherapeutic approaches focused on these psychosocial factors may improve functionality, impairment and quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis. 1" " Briones*Buixassa,"L.,"Milà,"R.,"Arrufat,"F."X.,"Aragonès,"J."M,"Bufill,"E.,"Luminet,"O.,"&"Moss* 1" Morris,"R."(in"press)."A case-control study of psychosocial factors which may predict or 2" moderate the effect of stress in multiple sclerosis. Journal of Health Psychology." 3" 4"2" " 5" Abstract 6" 7"The stress effect on Multiple Sclerosis (MS) remains unclear. Moderating 8"psychosocial factors may be involved. This study compares some of them in people 9"with MS (pwMS) and healthy controls, and their association with disease parameters. 10"Coping style, social support, anxiety, alexithymia and early-life stress were measured, 11"along with impairment and functionality. PwMS scored significantly higher on anxiety, 12"alexithymia, and avoidance and instinctive coping but lower in social support. No 13" differences were found in early-life stress. Impairment was related to avoidance, and 14" functionality to avoidance and anxiety. Psychotherapeutic approaches focused on these 15"psychosocial factors may improve functionality, impairment, and quality of life in 16"pwMS. 17" 18"19"

Adverse childhood experiences, risk factors in the onset of autoimmune diseases in adults: A meta-analysis.

“…The findings indicate a statistically not significant main effect, which means that ACEs are not significantly associated with ADs in adulthood. These results are consistent with previous studies that underscore that early-life stress seems not to have an important role in ADs such as multiple sclerosis (Briones-Buixassa et al, 2019) or systemic rheumatic diseases (Luiz et al, 2018).…”

“…Moreover, autoimmune patients with histories of childhood trauma have increased relapse rates and reduced treatment response compared with patients without early-life trauma (Spitzer et al, 2012). On the other hand, recent studies have yielded contradictory results, revealing no relationship between stressful events and the risk for the onset and exacerbation of some ADs (Briones-Buixassa et al, 2019;Luiz et al, 2018). Authors propose other moderating psychosocial factors, such as how people deal with stress, family cohesion, child dispositional attributes, or external support, because traumatic stress does not directly affect health.…”

Quality of life and prosocial or antisocial coping with resource deprivation: The study of people at risk of social exclusion

“…Over two years, the respondents experienced highly stressful situations much more often than healthy individuals and used coping strategies focused on emotions and avoidance more often, making their psychophysical state deteriorate. A study among multiple sclerosis patients showed similar dependencies (Briones-Buixassa et al, 2019).…”

“…Using maladaptative coping strategies can have health, psychological, and social consequences. In a Spanish study among multiple sclerosis patients (Briones-Buixassa et al, 2019), it was demonstrated that the patients, compared to the group of healthy people, used more strategies such as avoidance and instinctive action and showed fewer social joining attitudes.…”

Alexithymie bei Multipler Sklerose – eine narrative Übersicht

“…Klinische Daten zeigten jedoch bei MS Patienten im Vergleich zu gesunden Probanden höhere Testwerte in Bezug auf Angststörungen, Alexithymie, Vermeidungsverhalten, instinktiven Copingstrategien und niedrigere in Bezug auf sozialen Rückhalt [158].…”