Correlates of quality of life among persons with multiple sclerosis

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which objective (demographic) and subjective (self-reported health and role) domains predicted quality of life among 153 persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Subjects completed the Life Situation Survey, a measure of quality of life, a demographic form (sex education, age, MS duration, employment status, marital status), the MS-Related Symptoms Scale (motor, brain stem, sensory, mental/emotions, elimination subscales), and the 15-Item Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Self-Care Scale for MS Persons (fine/gross motor, communicating, recreation/socializing, intimacy subscales). Hierarchical multiple regression was used to enter three blocks of variables (demographic, symptom, and ADL domains), and stepwise was used to enter variables within each block. The final model resulted in two health domains (mental/emotions and sensory symptoms) and two role domains (intimacy and recreation/socializing) that predicted 61 % of the variance in quality of life of persons with MS.