Influence of psychopathological factors and personality traits on the results of the study of quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Objective. To study the influence of psychopathological factors and personality traits on the results of the study of quality of life (QoL) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Material and methods. Forty-three patients with relapsing MS were included in the study (74.4% female; mean age 33.1 years). SF-36 was used to evaluate QoL. Effects of psychopathological factors, cognitive regulation of emotions and personality traits on QoL were studied. Statistical analysis was performed using multiple linear model. Results and discussion. A wide number of strategies of cognitive regulation of emotions has conflicting effects on the physical component of QoL; subscales of anhedonic depression and anxious arousal (MASQ), which probably represent depressive and anxiety disorders, decrease the physical component of QoL. The key factors of the mental component of QoL include psychopathological factors (mostly obsessive-compulsive symptoms) and personality traits (the more intense they are the lower is QoL). Strategies of cognitive regulation of emotions have low impact on the mental component of QoL.