Burden of COVID-19 Pandemic Perceived by Polish Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Journal of Clinical Medicine

Ewa Gruszka¹  Sławomir Budrewicz¹  Justyna Chojdak-Łukasiewicz¹  Anna Pokryszko-Dragan¹  Tomasz Pawłowski²  Anna Rudkowska-Mytych²  Marcin Pawłowski²  Joanna Rymaszewska² 

[1] Department of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland;Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wybrzeże Pasteura 10, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland;

关键词: multiple sclerosis;    COVID-19 pandemic;    perceived stress;    coping strategies;   

DOI  :  10.3390/jcm10184215

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) were expected to be particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the burden of pandemic, perceived by Polish MS patients, with regard to major contributing factors. The survey, conducted in August/September 2020, included: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced (Brief–COPE), questions on demographic data, MS characteristics, and health-related and social aspects of pandemic burden. Relationships were searched between PSS-10 and Mini-COPE results and other analyzed items, using U Mann–Whitney test, Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA rank test and Spearman rank correlation. The survey was answered by 287 MS patients (208 female, 79 male, aged 21–69 years). Since March 2020, 2.4% of respondents had been positive for COVID-19 and 5.2% had undergone a quarantine. Mean PSS-10 score was 19.99, with moderate or high level of stress in 83.3% of respondents. Problem-focused strategies were more frequently used than emotion-focused strategies (1.76 vs. 1.16). Higher PSS-10 score was associated with comorbidities (H = 4.28), increase in major MS symptoms during the pandemic (21.92 vs. 18.06), experience of healthcare limitations (21.12 vs. 17.98), work-related (22.58 vs. 18.69), financial (22.70 vs. 18.83) and family-related problems (22.54 vs. 17.73) due to pandemic restrictions. A coping model was associated with functional disability and limitations to daily activities (H = 7.81). During the first stage of the pandemic, MS patients reported increased level of stress and preferred problem-focused coping. The level of stress and coping showed more relationships with pandemic impact upon social issues than with MS-related variables.

【 授权许可】

Unknown