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Updated: Apr 18, 2026

The Multiple Sclerosis Performance Test MSPT: An iPad-Based Disability Assessment Tool
Published on: June 30, 2014
Self-efficacy as a longitudinal predictor of perceived cognitive impairment in individuals with multiple sclerosis
Abbey J Hughes1, Meghan Beier2, Narineh Hartoonian3
1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence West, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA.
Objectives:
To determine whether self-efficacy longitudinally predicts 2 types of perceived cognitive impairment (PCI) in multiple sclerosis (MS): general cognitive functioning and executive functioning; and secondarily to assess whether self-efficacy mediates the relationships between depression, fatigue, and PCI.
Design:
Longitudinal analysis of self-report survey data collected over 3 years. Hierarchical regression analyses examined the relationship between self-efficacy and PCI, adjusting for depression and fatigue. Additional analyses tested self-efficacy as a mediator between depression, fatigue, and PCI.
Setting:
Community.
Participants:
Community-dwelling individuals with MS (N=233; age range, 22-83y) were recruited from a larger longitudinal survey study of individuals with MS (N=562).
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
Primary outcome measures were the Applied Cognition-General Concerns and the Applied Cognition-Executive Function domains of the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (NeuroQoL) measures.
Results:
Self-efficacy was significantly correlated with PCI at baseline (r=.40-.53) and 3 years later (r=.36-.44). In multivariate regression analyses, self-efficacy was a significant longitudinal predictor of PCI, both for general cognitive functioning (β=.20, P<.01) and executive functioning (β=.16, P<.05). Self-efficacy partially mediated the relationships between depression, fatigue, and PCI.
Conclusions:
Self-efficacy may influence how individuals with MS perceive their cognitive functioning over time. Interventions that target self-efficacy, particularly early in the disease course, may lead to improvements in PCI, as well as improvements in fatigue and depression.
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