Social support is linked to mental health, quality of life, and motor function in multiple sclerosis - Journal of Neurology

Objective

To investigate associations of social support to psychological well-being, cognition, and motor functioning in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Secondarily, we were interested in exploring sex differences in these relationships, based on a bioevolutionary theoretical justification.

Methods

Social support was assessed in 185 recently diagnosed patients (RADIEMS cohort), and in an independent validation sample (MEMCONNECT cohort, n = 62). Patients also completed a comprehensive neurobehavioral evaluation including measures of mental health, fatigue, quality of life, cognition, and motor function. Correlations tested links between social support and these variables, along with potential gender differences.

Results

In both samples, higher social support was associated with better mental health, quality of life, subjective cognitive function, and less fatigue. In the RADIEMS cohort, higher social support was associated with better motor functions, particularly grip strength and gait endurance in women.

Conclusions

These findings highlight associations of social support to overall psychological health and motor functioning in persons with MS, underlining the potential opportunity of evaluating and promoting social engagement in novel treatment strategies.

1. Data from the RADIEMS cohort were used with permission from the Principal Investigator Dr. JF Sumowski.

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Authors and Affiliations

1. Translational Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 630 W. 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA

   Anne Kever, Korhan Buyukturkoglu & Victoria M. Leavitt

2. Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

   Claire S. Riley, Philip L. De Jager & Victoria M. Leavitt

3. Center for Translational and Computational Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

   Philip L. De Jager

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Victoria M. Leavitt.

Conflicts of interest

Claire S. Riley reports consulting or advisory work with Biogen Idec, Celgene, Genentech/Roche, Genzyme, TG Therapeutics. Philip De Jager is on the advisory board for the following: Celgene, Roche, Biogen, Genzyme, and has sponsored research agreements with Roche and Biogen. Victoria M. Leavitt has received consulting fees from Healios, Inc, and is the co-founder of eSupport Health, PBC. Anne Kever and Korhan Buyukturkoglu report no disclosures.

Ethical standard

Ethical approval was granted by the institutional review boards of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. All participants provided written informed consent.