Search

The objective of this study was to identify characteristics of informal caregivers, caregiving, and the people with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving assistance that are associated with reduced caregiver employment. Data were collected during telephone interviews with 530 MS caregivers, including 215 employed caregivers, with these survey data analyzed using logistic regression. Poorer cognitive ability by the care recipient to make decisions about daily tasks and more caregiving hours per week predicted reduced caregiver employment. Better physical health domains of caregiver quality of life were associated with significantly lower odds of reduced employment. Health professionals treating informal caregivers, as well as those treating people with MS, need to be aware of respite, support, and intervention programs available to MS caregivers and refer them to these programs, which could reduce the negative impact of caregiving on employment.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease that can have physical, psychological, and social impacts, reducing health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with HRQOL among young adults with MS. Survey data were collected from 100 people with MS aged 18 to 31 years, with 93 participants providing all data needed for analyses of our regression models. The survey cohort was recruited from the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) Registry (now the NARCOMS/Global Patient Registry). Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the data, with the Physical Component Summary and the Mental Component Summary of the 8-item Short Form Health Status Survey serving as dependent variables. Independent variables were other survey responses, including demographic, disease, and treatment characteristics. The results indicated that full-time employment, relapsing-remitting course of MS, and satisfaction with access to MS-focused care were associated with better physical dimensions of HRQOL. Conversely, MS symptoms that interfered with daily life and perceptions of not having as good a social life as other people of comparable age were linked to poorer physical dimensions of HRQOL. Worsening MS symptoms, not having as good a social life as other people of comparable age, and seeing a mental health professional in the previous 12 months were associated with poorer mental dimensions of HRQOL. Our study highlights the association of MS-focused care with better physical dimensions of HRQOL among young adults with MS.

The objective of this study was to identify characteristics of informal caregivers, caregiving, and people with multiple sclerosis (MS) receiving this assistance that are associated with the strength of the care-giver/care recipient relationship. Data were collected in a national survey of informal caregivers and analyzed using an ordered logistic regression model to identify factors associated with caregiver perceptions of the strength of the relationship with the person with MS. The overall health of the person with MS was significantly associated with caregiver perceptions that providing assistance strengthened the caregiver/care recipient relationship, with poor health having a negative impact on the relationship. A spousal relationship between the caregiver and the person with MS was associated with significantly lower perceptions of a strengthened relationship. Conversely, caregiver perceptions that MS symptoms interfered with the independence of the person with MS in daily life were associated with caregiver perceptions of a strengthened relationship. Longer duration of caregiving and more hours per week spent providing assistance also were associated with a stronger relationship. In contrast, we found a significant negative association between caregiver perceptions that assisting the person with MS was burdensome and the strength of the relationship. Similarly, higher levels of education among caregivers tended to have a significantly negative impact on the caregiver/care recipient relationship. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing the needs and concerns of spousal caregivers. Health professionals who treat informal caregivers, as well as those treating people with MS, should be sensitive to the impact caregiving has on caregivers, especially spouses providing assistance.