Independent variables* and methods | Categorisation criteria | Characteristics of the sample (n) |
Age† | <47 y | 108 |
⩾47 y | 111 | |
Sex | Female | 149 |
Male | 70 | |
Sense of coherence: SOC scale‡ | Weak/moderate, <76 | 148 |
Strong, ⩾76 | 58 | |
Living with a partner§: interview | Yes | 152 |
No | 69 | |
Living with children§: interview | Yes | 64 |
No | 155 | |
Work status¶: interview | Working, full- or part-time | 117 |
Not working | 84 | |
Immunomodulatory treatment: medical records and interview | Ongoing treatment | 182 |
No treatment | 37 | |
Mood, depressive symptoms: BDI** | Symptoms, ⩾13 | 90 |
No symptoms, <13 | 108 | |
Disease severity: EDSS†† | Normal, 0 | 1 |
Mild, 1.0–3.5 | 129 | |
Moderate, 4.0–5.5 | 37 | |
Severe, 6.0–9.5 | 52 | |
Disease course | Relapsing remitting | 127 |
Progressive‡‡ | 92 | |
Time since diagnosis§§: medical records and interview | ⩽10 y | 101 |
>10 y | 118 |
*Independent variables: data were collected at baseline, except SOC, which was collected at 6 or 12 months.
†Age: categorised according to the mean age of the sample: mean 47 (SD 12 (range 20–75)).
‡SOC: the 13 item version SOC scale11 was used and categorised with reference to a sample from the Swedish general population, adjusting for gender15 (n = 206).
§A person was considered a partner if ⩾18 years of age and a child if <18 years of age.
¶Work status: applied for PwMS <65 years of age, the customary retirement age in Sweden (n = 201).
**Mood: categorised as depressive symptoms if at any time during the study (at baseline, 12 or 24 months) the BDI16 score was ⩾13,17 otherwise categorised as no depressive symptoms (n = 198).
††The EDSS18: categorised according to the categorisation applied in the Swedish MS Registry.19
‡‡Primary progressive or secondary progressive course.
§§Time since diagnosis: mean 14 (SD 10 (range 0–44)).
BDI, Beck Depression Inventory; EDSS, Expanded Disability Status Scale; PwMS, persons with multiple sclerosis; SOC, sense of coherence.