The Role of Sex and Other Personal Characteristics in the Effects of Symptoms Severity on Self-Care Agency in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system.

Aims

The study was conducted to determine the role of sex and other personal characteristics in the impact of symptom severity on self-care in individuals with MS.

Methods

The study was cross-sectional and was completed with 200 participants throughout Turkey. The data were collected through random and snowball sampling using the MS-related symptom checklist (MS-RS), the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and the Exercise of Self-Care Agency (ESCA) form. The data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS 21. Statistical significance was evaluated at the level of p < 0.05.

Results

The mean age of the participants was 37.97 ± 10.6 years. The mean scores were 47.4 ± 22.41 for MS-RS, 4.58 ± 2.2 for FSS, and 94.65 ± 24.76 for ESCA in females. The mean MS-RS score in males was 45 ± 25.89, FSS was 4.33 ± 2.5, and ESCA was 83.43 ± 23.95. There were no significant differences between the sexes except that the ESCA scores were higher in females (p < 0.05). According to a multiple linear regression analysis, the duration of diagnosis and sensory subdimension of MS-RS negatively affected the ESCA score in females, and this statistically significant model explained 22.6% of ESCA scores.

Conclusion

The study found that both sexes had clinically significant fatigue, mildly severe symptoms, and moderate self-care agency. While being a female positively affected self-care agency, disease duration, and sensory symptoms negatively affected females’ self-care agency.