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Comprehensive Autopsy Program for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis
Published on: July 19, 2019
Negative interpretation of ambiguous bodily information by patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
Parham Hosseinchi1, Erfan Ghalibaf1, Ali Dehghani2
1Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran.
Abstract:
Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) is characterised by the patients' experience of periods of exacerbation in symptoms. The fear associated with the relapse influence the quality of life in patients and their relationship with bodily experiences. Previous studies suggested that health anxiety (HA) contributes to fear of relapse but have not investigated cognitive mechanisms involved in developing and maintaining the fear of relapse in patients and we were interested to test this relationship. We used the online interpretation paradigm to investigate biased interpretation of ambiguous bodily information and its relationship to HA among patients and healthy controls (65 subjects in each group). Patients had higher levels of HA than controls. Patients also interpreted ambiguous bodily information more negatively than controls. There was a significant positive correlation between HA and negative interpretation of information in the whole sample. Among patients, HA mediated the relationship between interpretation bias and fear of relapse. Findings of this study suggest that negative interpretation bias can contribute to higher HA which in turn contributed to more fear of relapse among patients with RRMS. These findings have important implications for improving the quality of life in patients suffering from MS.
Insights
Health anxiety in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients is linked to negative interpretations of bodily sensations, increasing fear of relapse. This cognitive bias impacts quality of life.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Medical Research
Background:
- Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) involves symptom exacerbations.
- Fear of relapse significantly impacts patients' quality of life and body perception.
- Previous research suggests a link between health anxiety and fear of relapse, but cognitive mechanisms remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cognitive mechanisms, specifically biased interpretation of ambiguous bodily information, in relation to health anxiety and fear of relapse in RRMS patients.
- To compare interpretation bias and health anxiety levels between RRMS patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- An online interpretation paradigm was employed to assess biased interpretation of ambiguous bodily sensations.
- Sixty-five RRMS patients and 65 healthy controls participated in the study.
- Health anxiety, interpretation bias, and fear of relapse were measured.
Main Results:
- RRMS patients exhibited higher levels of health anxiety compared to healthy controls.
- Patients demonstrated a negative interpretation bias for ambiguous bodily information.
- A significant positive correlation was found between health anxiety and negative interpretation bias.
- Health anxiety mediated the relationship between interpretation bias and fear of relapse in RRMS patients.
Conclusions:
- Negative interpretation bias contributes to heightened health anxiety in RRMS patients.
- Health anxiety, in turn, exacerbates the fear of relapse among individuals with RRMS.
- Addressing negative interpretation bias and health anxiety may improve the quality of life for RRMS patients.
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