The Degree of Illness Acceptance among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Introduction. Acceptance of chronic disease depends on patient’s personal predisposition as well as on characteristics of the disease, such as the type and severity of symptoms, its consequences in the perspective of physical and psychosocial functioning and possibilities of treatment. In particular, it seems to be difficult to accept such a disease as multiple sclerosis, the beginning of which concerns mainly young people who are forced to re-evaluate their life and modify plans for the future so that the self-portrait would not become a source of frustration and a sense of a lower esteem.
Aim. The aim of the study was to assess the acceptance of the disease and to analyse the relationship of such acceptance with patients’ functional status and with self-assessment of depression.
Material and Methods. The group of respondents consisted of 38 patients of the Department of Neurology in Cracow, who had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In this work the method of diagnostic survey and the analysis of records were applied. Participants of the study were asked to complete such research tools as: the Beck Scale, Katz Scale, socio-demographic data inventory and the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS). The analysis covered their medical records and individual cards of medical orders. The obtained results were subject to statistical calculations.
Results. The score of a significant number of respondents — 13 (34.2%) on the AIS Scale was qualified to the highest score ranging from 32 to 40 points. Slightly more than 1/4 of the study group (10 patients, ie. 26.3%) obta­ined a score ranging from 23 to 31 points. The smallest group of respondents achieved the lowest score, as it was qualified for the range of 5–13 points (6 persons, ie. 15.8%). The AIS Scale average score for the whole group studied was 25.08 points. Between the acceptance of the disease, and the presence and severity of depression among respondents, there is a negative correlation (r=-0.29), however it is not statistically significant (p=0.08). The value of the correlation coefficient of the AIS and Katz Scales (r=0.15) results is not statistically significant either (p=0.37).
Conclusions. Acceptance of the disease in the group of people is average and similar to that encountered in other somatic diseases of chronic course. A better emotional condition seems to enhance greater acceptance of the disease. (JNNN 2015;4(1):19–23)