Social support and quality of life in MS:
An Internet support group study
by Jon Reed & Tony Towell
Division of Psychology, University of Westminster, London, UK
Social support has long been recognised as an
important aspect of quality of life (QOL) for people with chronic illness. The
objectives of this study were to examine the effects on physical and mental
health of social support among members of an Internet support group for people
with multiple sclerosis (MS), assess which aspects of QOL are most important
and what effects Internet-based social support has for this population.
A cross-sectional survey design was used, and an
anonymous on-line survey was the main research instrument. A self-selecting
sample of 199 users of an Internet support group for people with MS, Jooly's
Joint, completed an on-line survey comprising measures of QOL, psychological
well-being, social support and Internet use.
We found that participants who perceived a high
level of social support scored higher on a range of measures of physical and
mental health. Participants with low physical functioning and high Internet use
had better QOL scores.
The most important predictors of self-rated
quality of life for this group were affection, economic functioning, emotional
well-being, health distress and pain.
We conclude that social
support is an important factor influencing QOL in people with MS, and those
perceiving a high level of social support experience better physical and
psychological functioning. Internet-based social support is most beneficial for
those people with low physical functioning but further research is needed to
explore functional differences between on-line and face-to-face support.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks are due to
Julie Howell at
Jooly's Joint for her support, co-operation and advice
and for her technical assistance in developing the HTML version of the survey
and the screensaver incentive for participants. We are especially grateful for
the generosity of the members of the online MS community who participated in
this study.
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