Resilience, Stress, Well-Being, and Sleep Quality in Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

(1) Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive, immune-mediated disorder that affects the Central Nervous System and is the most common cause of non-traumatic neurological disability in young adults. The study aimed to assess the levels of stress, resilience, well-being, sleep quality, and fatigue in Israeli people with MS (PwMS), and to examine the associations between these factors and the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. These factors had never before been studied in conjunction in PwMS, nor had they been systematically addressed in Israel, the unique geopolitical situation of which may pose unique challenges. (2) Methods: This was a survey-based, cross-sectional study conducted through an Internet platform. (3) Results: Israeli PwMS who participated in the study were experiencing relatively high levels of stress and low resilience, poor sleep quality, and severe fatigue. The analysis revealed significant associations between resilience and stress, well-being, and anxiety, as well as stress and well-being, resilience, sleep quality, fatigue, and Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS). (4) Conclusions: the Israeli PwMS who participated in the study were experiencing higher levels of stress, lower resilience and worse sleep quality than PwMS in other countries, as compared to results previously reported in literature. The findings of this study ought to serve as a call to action for the MS care providers in Israel and warrant further research into the possible causes of the phenomenon and strategies to address it.

Resilience, mental health, sleep, and smoking mediate pathways between lifetime stressors and Multiple Sclerosis severity

“…On an individual level, in line with our findings, Novak and Lev-Ari (2023) found a relationship between resilience, adult stress, and sleep quality in PwMS, and that higher levels of resilience are associated with better mental and physical health outcomes in the context of MS 58 . Moreover, fostering resilience is associated with improved management of challenges in aging PwMS.…”

The association of comorbidities with sleep quality among Australians with multiple sclerosis: Insights from the Australian Multiple Sclerosis Longitudinal Study

“…using electronic devices before bedtime). 8 , 30 , 31 At the individual level, understanding and addressing these other factors will be important when assisting people with MS with poor sleep or when developing sleep interventions. Future research could include the conduct of trials that focus on optimizing the management of comorbidities and evaluating their impact on MS outcomes, including sleep quality.…”

Dissipation of Motor Sleep Inertia and Motor Wake Inertia in Early Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

“…More specifically, further studies should verify the suitability of the working hypothesis on the role played by the homeostatic process in the regulation of motor wake inertia by plotting motor activity at the transition between waking and sleeping against the total amount of wakefulness. Moreover, future longitudinal studies are needed to assess whether the sleep onset issue is associated or not with the severity of the disorder in order to improve the wellbeing of these persons [21].…”