Illness intrusiveness, uncertainty, and distress in individuals with multiple sclerosis

Objective: To examine the relation of illness intrusiveness and illness unc ertainty to psychological distress in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) . Study Design: Participants were recruited from regional support groups an d local neurologists. Participants completed self-report measures of illnes s intrusiveness, illness uncertainty, and psychological distress. Disease s tatus was assessed by administration of a mental status exam and an index o f ambulation. Participants: The sample included 78 (55 women, 23 men) indiv iduals diagnosed with MS. Main Outcome Measure: The Symptom Checklist-90-Re vised Global Severity Index. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses indi cated that illness intrusiveness and illness uncertainty independently pred icted adjustment problems above and beyond demographic and illness variable s. No mediator or moderator relationships were found for illness intrusiven ess. Conclusions: Psychological appraisals of illness are salient predictor s of adjustment even after statistically controlling for the influence of a ge, education, and objective indices of physical and cognitive impairment.