Participation in social/lifestyle activities in people with multiple sclerosis: Changes across 10 years and predictors of sustained participation

Abstract

Background: Identification of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) with increased risk of restricted participation in social and lifestyle activities (e.g. social outings and pursuing a hobby) could guide the development of interventions supporting sustained participation. Objective: To explore changes in participation in complex and social everyday activities over 10 years in PwMS in relation to multiple sclerosis (MS) severity and to identify predictors of sustained participation. Methods: This study was based on a 10-year follow-up of 264 PwMS living in Stockholm County, Sweden. Ten-year changes in participation in social/lifestyle activities were assessed and compared between PwMS with different MS severity with the Frenchay Activities Index using age- and sex-related normative values. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to predict sustained participation at 10 years using personal factors, disease severity and functioning as independent variables. Results: While a majority of people with mild MS demonstrated sustained participation (67%), a minority of PwMS moderately (26%) and severely affected by MS (5%) demonstrated sustained participation. Significant predictors of sustained participation after 10 years were walking speed ⩾1.2 m/s and ⩾32 correct responses on the Symbol Digit Modalities Test. Conclusion: Our findings accentuate the importance for health services to support mobility and cognition to obtain sustained participation.

Employment status of people with multiple sclerosis in relation to 10-year changes in functioning and perceived impact of the disease

“…Walking ability was the only variable that decreased significantly over 10 years in all subgroups, in line with previous research (Simmons et al, 2010). Walking speed has been reported as a predictor of sustained participation (Johansson et al, 2019) and as a predictor of sustainability of employment status in PwMS (Chruzander et al, 2016). There could be multiple reasons for how walking can impact employment status.…”

Spatial and temporal distribution of the prevalence of unemployment and early retirement in people with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review with meta-analysis

“…Ireland [ 47 , 48 ], Israel [ 49 , 50 ], Poland [ 51 , 52 ], and Saudi Arabia [ 53 , 54 ] contributed with two (1.3%) studies each while Brazil [ 55 – 57 ], Iran [ 58 – 60 ], Holland [ 61 – 63 ], Norway [ 11 , 64 , 65 ], and Switzerland [ 66 – 68 ] contributed with three (2.0%) studies each. Most of the data on the estimates of the prevalence comes from Canada (four, 2.6%) [ 69 – 72 ], Denmark (five, 3.3%) [ 73 – 77 ], Belgium (five, 3.3%) [ 35 , 78 – 81 ], France (five, 3.3%) [ 82 – 86 ], Spain (five, 3.3%) [ 8 , 28 , 33 , 87 , 88 ], Sweden (seven, 4.6%) [ 89 – 95 ], Germany (eight, 5.3%) [ 96 – 103 ], Australia (eight, 5.9%) [ 38 , 104 – 110 ], Italy (nine, 5.9%) [ 111 – 119 ], United Kingdom (nine, 5.9%) [ 29 , 32 , 120 – 126 ] and the United States of America (50, 32.9%) [ 14 , 15 , 30 , 31 , 34 ,…”

“…three (2.0%) studies each. Most of the data on the estimates of the prevalence comes from Canada (four, 2.6%)[69][70][71][72], Denmark (five, 3.3%)[73][74][75][76][77], Belgium (five, 3.3%)[35,[78][79][80][81], France (five, 3.3%)[82][83][84][85][86], Spain (five, 3.3%) [8,28,33,87,88], Sweden (seven, 4.6%)[89- 95], Germany (eight, 5.3%)[96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103], Australia (eight, 5.9%)[38,[104][105][106][107][108][109][110], Italy (nine, 5.9%)[111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119], United Kingdom (nine, 5.9%)[29,32,…”

Association of social network structure and physical function in patients with multiple sclerosis

“…As patients with MS develop greater physical disability and more significant ambulatory impairment, they are less likely to participate in complex social activities over time. 27 Confinement to the home environment further restricts social support and tends to limit interactions to closely connected groups of family and friends, increasing a network's constraint. 28 Finally, physical disability increases the likelihood of unemployment in MS, 29 and contributes to the consequent loss of weak social ties through diminished coworker connections and decreases in network heterogeneity after exiting from the workforce.…”