Summary: Social support and social integration help improve overall health and well-being for those with multiple sclerosis.
Source: Kessler Foundation
Researchers conducted a comprehensive online survey of people with multiple sclerosis, assessing their health, lifestyle, personality, MS symptomatology, psychological well-being, social support, and social integration.
Study findings suggest that social integration and social support warrant inclusion in MS management.
The research was published online in Health and Social Care in the Community on March 24, 2022. The authors are Elena M. Latinsky-Ortiz of Loyola University-Maryland, and Lauren Strober, Ph.D., of Kessler Foundation.
There is a growing awareness of social factors as risk factors for poor health and mortality. In fact, the risks for poor outcomes may be greater than for more established lifestyle risk factors such as smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise.
While the impact of social isolation is recognized in the older population and among those with cancer, few studies have addressed the impact in people with MS, who are more likely to report poorer health and well-being than their peers without MS.
For this study, researchers surveyed 183 individuals with MS to determine the role of social and lifestyle factors on their health and psychological well-being.
“Our study confirmed the association between social integration and social support and the health and well-being of people with MS,” said Dr. Strober, senior research scientist in the Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation.
“These social factors significantly predicted health and well-being, even when accounting for demographic factors, personality, lifestyle factors, and cardiovascular risk,” she emphasized.
“The good news is that this finding points to another way to improve the lives of people living with MS. Their clinical management should include assessment of social activities and support as well as strategies that optimize social integration and reduce isolation.
“To achieve this, researchers need to focus on developing effective interventions aimed at increasing social integration and connectedness.”
About this multiple sclerosis research news
Author: Press Office
Source: Kessler Foundation
Contact: Press Office – Kessler Foundation
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: Closed access.
“Keeping it together: The role of social integration on health and psychological well‐being among individuals with multiple sclerosis” by Elena M. Latinsky‐Ortiz et al. Health & Social Care in the Community
Abstract
Keeping it together: The role of social integration on health and psychological well‐being among individuals with multiple sclerosis
Research indicates that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to report poorer health and well-being than their peers without MS. Fortunately, it is also known that an individual’s social and lifestyle factors play a great role on maintaining and promoting one’s health and overall well-being.
The present study aimed to examine the role that social integration and social support, in particular have on health and psychological well-being (PWB) among individuals with MS.
One hundred and eighty three individuals with MS completed measures of social and lifestyle factors, personality, physical and mental health, MS disease symptomatology and PWB. Cross sectional, regression analyses were conducted to determine the role of social and other lifestyle factors (e.g., diet/exercise) on health and PWB. A subset of this sample (108) completed a follow-up assessment. Longitudinal analyses of this sample were also conducted.
Consistent with previous findings, the presence of social integration and social support were significant predictors of health and PWB even when taking into account other lifestyle factors (i.e., diet/exercise, substance use, smoking), cardiovascular risk, demographics (i.e., gender, age, education, relationship status) and personality. The role of social integration and support on health and PWB is well established. Present findings confirmed these associations among individuals with MS.
These findings suggest that social integration and social support should be a crucial part of MS management and that further interventional studies aimed at improving social integration and reducing social isolation are warranted in an effort to promote and maintain overall health and well-being.
