The stress effect on multiple sclerosis remains unclear. Moderating psychosocial factors may be involved. This study compares some of them in people with multiple sclerosis and healthy controls, and their association with disease parameters. Coping style, social support, anxiety, alexithymia and early-life stress were measured, along with impairment and functionality. People with multiple sclerosis scored significantly higher on anxiety, alexithymia, and avoidance and instinctive coping but lower in social support. No differences were found in earlylife stress. Impairment was related to avoidance, and functionality to avoidance and anxiety. Psychotherapeutic approaches focused on these psychosocial factors may improve functionality, impairment and quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis. 1" " Briones*Buixassa,"L.,"Milà,"R.,"Arrufat,"F."X.,"Aragonès,"J."M,"Bufill,"E.,"Luminet,"O.,"&"Moss* 1" Morris,"R."(in"press)."A case-control study of psychosocial factors which may predict or 2" moderate the effect of stress in multiple sclerosis. Journal of Health Psychology." 3"
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Abstract
6" 7"The stress effect on Multiple Sclerosis (MS) remains unclear. Moderating
8"psychosocial factors may be involved. This study compares some of them in people 9"with MS (pwMS) and healthy controls, and their association with disease parameters.
10"Coping style, social support, anxiety, alexithymia and early-life stress were measured,
11"along with impairment and functionality. PwMS scored significantly higher on anxiety,
12"alexithymia, and avoidance and instinctive coping but lower in social support. No 13" differences were found in early-life stress. Impairment was related to avoidance, and 14" functionality to avoidance and anxiety. Psychotherapeutic approaches focused on these
15"psychosocial factors may improve functionality, impairment, and quality of life in
16"pwMS.
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