Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and hopelessness: psychosocial factors

Psychiatric Aspects of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

“…Nonadaptors had appraisal schema that placed negative expectations on the future and had a low perception of control. The authors noted that the description of these patients was very similar to that reported by Miglioretti et al [42••] and Plahuta et al [46] for patients who were in a state of hopelessness. Although very preliminary, the current research indicates those with realistic temperaments and a positive perception of control can adapt optimally to ALS.…”

“…The existing research on temperament and character validates earlier work done by researchers who were looking at particular psychological constructs as opposed to personality as a whole [46][47][48][49]. Two such study constructs with relevance to ALS are the concepts of health locus of control (HLOC) and hopelessness.…”

“…The question then becomes what aspects of character and environment contribute to this cognitive framework. Plahuta et al [46] looked at the relationship of certain psychosocial factors to hopelessness. The study included 136 patients with a median time since diagnosis of 2.2 years, with most patients classified as having moderate or severe ALS.…”

Investigating the Psychological Effects Associated with Motor Neuron Degeneration in Persons Diagnosed with ALS

“…Psychological issues, social support, and spirituality have all been shown to influence QoL more highly than the actual physical state of an individual with ALS, thus highlighting their importance in the care plan. Support looks different for every case, but as previously identified, creating an internal locus of control amongst individuals with ALS has the potential to pave the way for a more positive experience through disease progression (Plahuta et al, 2002;Simmons et al, 2000).…”

“…Limited research points to a higher rate of ALS occurrence amongst Caucasian populations than other non-white racial groups, but this could also be a byproduct of the lack of diversity amongst studies on the condition (Plahuta et al, 2002;Ng & Khan, 2011). Further research by Plathuta in 2002 points to a significant combined influence of age, gender, marital status, and education on hopelessness, but discounts their individual roles in informing psychological care beyond this correlation; I argue that their lack of deeper analysis on the dynamics of each of these categories may have shorted their capacity to truly evaluate the importance of each (Plathuta et al, 2002).…”