Fatigue management effects on social participation and environment management in individuals with multiple sclerosis: Quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate the effect of an occupation-focused and occupation-based group intervention for fatigue management on the perception of environment barriers and social participation, and secondarily the impact on quality of life and sleep quality. Material and Methods: For this quasi-experimental study, 19 participants with a mean age of 45 (13.7), with 84.2% having Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis with Expanded Disability Status Scale mean 2.6, were recruited. The outcome measures were administering pre-post test, and the follow-up was at 3 months using T-test for inferential analysis. The outcome measures used for the primary outcomes were the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors scale, the Community Integration Questionnaire, and the Impact on Participation and Autonomy. Results: All outcomes showed statistically significant improvement after treatment. At 3-month follow-up, the results maintained positive results except for the General Sleep Disturbance Scale and the MSQoL-54, which showed a slight worsening in total scores with respect to post-treatment. Conclusion: This study fits into a widely studied context, emphasizing the importance of implementing occupation-focused group interventions for fatigue management. Furthermore, this study showed that this type of intervention leads to an improvement on the perception of environmental barriers and social participation.