A correlational study of disabilities, stressors and coping methods in victims of multiple sclerosis

Twenty multiple sclerosis (MS) patients admitted to the hospital for treatment of exacerbation of their disease were asked to identify stressors and the coping mechanisms they employed to deal with stressors. They completed the MS Stressor Scale (a twenty item Likert-type scale) and the Jalowiec Coping Scale (sixty-item Likert-type scale). Disability level was measured using the Barthel Index. Results showed an overall mean stress score of 1.49 on a scale of 1 to 3. The most stressful items identified were feeling tired, inability to walk and uncertainty about the future. The most prevalent coping theme used was self-reliance and the most prevalent individual coping responses were a sense of humor and trying to learn more. A positive correlation was found between uncertainty about the future and fatalistic coping, and a negative correlation between depression and optimistic coping. No relationship was found between degree of disability and stressors.