Vocational rehabilitation-related predictors of quality of life among people with multiple sclerosis

This study evaluated the strength of illness-related, employment-related, and psychosocial variables as predictors of quality of life (QOL) among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). An ex post facto, multiple correlational investigation was conducted with 1,310 people with MS who were members of the National MS Society. A questionnaire developed by the researchers included (a) demographic and illness-related items with both fixed and open response sets and (b) a QOL scale that asked respondents to rate on a scale of 1 (totally unsatisfying) to 7 (completely satisfying) their levels of satisfaction in major life areas. A backward stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed a model of vocational rehabilitation-related predictors in which QOL was found to be positively related to educational level and employment status and negatively related to number of symptoms, persistence of symptoms, and perceived stress level. The model explained 42.9 percent of the variance in QOL scores.