Social support predicts sleep quality in people with multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic

You've Got a Friend in Me: The Importance of a Confidant and Its Role on Health and Well-Being Among Women With Multiple Sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Social support plays a significant role in maintaining one's health and well-being. A perceived or objective lack of close friendships can indicate loneliness and/or limited social support. The present study aimed to examine the impact of having a close friend on the overall health and psychological well-being (PWB) of women with multiple sclerosis (MS).

METHODS

A prospective national study examining factors associated with unemployment in MS enrolled 160 women. As part of an online survey, participants were asked whether they had someone they could confide in. Group comparisons on measures of health, PWB, quality of life (QOL), social support, and marital/partner satisfaction were made between those who said yes and those who said no. Regression analyses were also conducted to determine the role of having a confidant and other lifestyle factors related to health, PWB, and QOL.

RESULTS

Approximately 19% of participants reported not having a confidant. These individuals reported worse perceived general, physical, and mental health and more severe depression, anxiety, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and pain. They also reported lower levels of PWB, life satisfaction, social support, and marital/partner satisfaction. Regression analyses revealed that having a confidant was a significant predictor of physical and mental health, PWB, and QOL, even when considering other lifestyle factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that the simple question Do you have someone to confide in? may be an important indicator of individuals' health and well-being. Practitioners should routinely assess patients' socialization and discuss the importance of social networks and communal activity.

Canonical correlation-based relationships between social support and sleep quality in a hospital psychiatric outpatient population with examining the mediating roles of anxiety and depressive symptoms

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to examine the associations between various dimensions of social support and sleep quality in a hospital psychiatric outpatient population using canonical correlation analysis, while also investigating the potential mediating roles of anxiety and depressive symptoms.

METHODS

Employing a cross-sectional design, survey data were collected from 10,071 individuals visiting Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital between October 2020 and October 2023. After excluding invalid cases, a total of 10,063 participants were included for analysis. The survey encompassed gathering basic demographic information as well as administering the Social Support Rating Scale, Self-rating Depression Scale, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 27.0 statistical software with canonical correlation analysis employed to examine the relationships. Additionally, the mediating effects of anxiety and depression symptoms were examined using the SPSS PROCESS macro.

RESULTS

Canonical correlation analysis reveals a significant positive correlation between social support dimensions and various aspects of sleep quality. The first pair of canonical variables (r = 0.586, p < 0.001) accounts for an impressive 97% of the cumulative contribution. It is found that this pair of canonical variables explains 68.9% of the variance in social support and 49.0% in sleep quality. Mediation analysis revealed that anxiety and depressive symptoms significantly mediated the relationship between social support and sleep quality, accounting for 88% of the total effect. Specifically, anxiety accounted for 47% mediation while depression accounted for 41%.

CONCLUSION

The study findings revealed a significant positive correlation between social support and sleep quality dimensions, indicating a robust association between increased social support and enhanced individual sleep quality. Furthermore, the results indicated that anxiety and depression partially mediated the relationship between social support and sleep quality, offering novel insights into the intricate connection between mental health and sleep quality.

Social support and anxiety correlation with resilience in patients with multiple sclerosis during COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Social support and anxiety are essential for patients with chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). During coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the psychological well-being of subjects with MS was an important issue, and we designed this study to assess anxiety, resilience, and social support in these patients during COVID-19 pandemic stage. Methods: We used convenience sampling for this study. Inclusion criteria were definite diagnosis of MS based on McDonald criteria and age more than 18 years. Two hundred patients with MS were enrolled. Subjects were asked to fill out valid and reliable Persian versions of Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Perceived Social Support Scale. We also collected demographic data (age, sex, marital status, and occupation), disease duration, and disability level [Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)]. Continuous variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD) (except for EDSS, as its distribution was not normal), and categorical variables were presented as frequencies. Correlation coefficients were calculated. We did a subgroup analysis and compared patients with BAI less than 30 and more than 30 (severe anxiety). A P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Mean age and mean duration of the disease were 36.5 ± 9.3 and 6.2 ± 5.4 years, respectively. Mean BAI, social support, and resilience scores were 33.8 ± 11.4, 65.7 ± 16.7, and 62.5 ± 19.4, respectively.There was a significant positive correlation between resilience and social support scales (r = 0.44, P < 0.001), and also a significant negative correlation between resilience and BAI (r = -0.31, P < 0.001). Patients with severe anxiety (BAI > 30) had lower social support scores and resilience (social support: 70.3 ± 13.1 vs. 61.5 ± 18.6, P < 0.001; resilience: 57.3 ± 17.0 vs. 68.2 ± 19.6, P < 0.001) compared to patients with BAI ≤ 30. By considering resilience score as the dependent variable and other variables as independent variables, we found that BAI and social support scores were independent predictors. Conclusion: Social support and anxiety are independent predictors of resilience during COVID-19 pandemic in patients with MS.