September 6, 2022 News by Hawken Miller First Descents Prescribes Good Medicine From the Great Outdoors Doctors typically prescribe medications to help manage symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), but a veteran nonprofit focuses on a little-known, much-overlooked part of treatment: therapeutic adventuring. First Descents was founded in 2001 to bring free outdoor activities to young adults with cancer. After a successful pilot study,…
December 15, 2021 News by Yedida Y Bogachkov PhD Pets Raise Sense of Well-being in Pandemic, But Challenges Remain Owning a dog, cat or other household pet during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has helped multiple sclerosis (MS) patients gain a better overall sense of their health and well-being, a single-site survey by mail of people in the U.K. reported. But pet-owning patients reported no significant improvements in their…
December 8, 2021 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Greater Sense of Life Control May Curb Depression Having a greater sense of control over life circumstances ā a coping resource called mastery ā is associated with a significantly lower risk of future depression in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, an international study shows. The findings suggest that developing greater mastery may prevent MS patients from developing depression,…
October 13, 2020 News by Teresa Carvalho, MS Risk Factors for Unemployment in People With MS Identified in Study Factors related to disease and personality, as well as specific health-related behaviors, are among the main determinants that can put people with multiple sclerosis (MS) at risk of unemployment, a study suggests. In particular, MS disease course, fatigue, self-efficacy (belief in one’s own abilities to cope, in this…
July 20, 2017 News by Joana Fernandes, PhD MS Symptoms, Coupled with Poor Self-Esteem, Can Lead to Serious Depression, Study Says Fatigue, limited mobility, and poor self-esteem or resiliency were found to be associated with periods of serious depression among multiple sclerosis patients, according to a recent study. Previous research has suggested that MS patients are at risk of major depression, with potentially profound impact on their quality of life. But only a few studies have addressed the incidence of depression among MS patients or the risk factors that may underlie its occurrence. Researchers in Canada enrolled 188 MS patients being treated an Alberta clinic, who were interviewed to assess potential risk factors for depression: namely, socioeconomic status, disease-related factors, childhood risk factors, psychosocial factors, and health behaviors. Participants were also asked to complete the Patient Health Questionnaire every two weeks for six months to identify depressive symptoms in real-time. Over a six-month follow-up, 36 cases of depression were reported among the group of MS patients analyzed. The incidence of depression was 0.019 for women, but higher ā 0.044 ā for men. Importantly, several factors seemed to be associated with depression in these patients ā fatigue, limited mobility, and low resiliency, self-esteem, and self-efficacy, as well as poor coping skills. Results also showed that gender and income were associated with depression. Overall, the researchers concluded that "depression in MS exhibits a risk factor profile similar to that of depression in the general population, with the additional impact of MS illness-related factors. Potentially modifiable risk factors, such as coping with stress and resiliency, present opportunities for focus of further research in depression in MS treatment and prevention efforts." Concerning treatment, the team also emphasized that "while there is evidence in the clinical context that supports the efficacy for pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments for depression in the general population, there is currently insufficient evidence to support/or refute the efficacy of depression treatment for individuals with MS ... Clearly this is an area that requires additional research."
September 16, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – MS Patients’ Perceptions of Exercise Key to Their Participation Interventions that aim to improve multiple sclerosis (MS) patients’ participation in physical activities need to take into account psychosocial constructs, such as their belief in theirĀ abilities and their expectations as to outcomes, in order to succeed. TheĀ finding, presented at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS)…
August 11, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Improving Confidence of RRMS Patients May Enhance Quality of Life, Decrease Depression, Study Finds Increasing a person’s confidence that they can complete tasks and reach goals in specific situations may benefit patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In a new study, researchers used an intensive three-day social cognitive treatment, called Can Do, to increaseĀ patients’ self-efficacy, which resulted in long lasting improvements in their health-related…