Discovering psychosocial strategies affecting self-esteem in women with multiple sclerosis: A qualitative study

Studies have shown that changes caused by chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) can not only affect the mental health and self-esteem of these patients, Rather, a positive self-image and high self-esteem are the best predictors of a person with MS. Despite studies on the self-esteem of Mitella patients with MS, few studies have been conducted to discover strategies that affect their self-esteem.

The aim of this study was to discover psychosocial strategies effective in reducing or increasing self-esteem in women with multiple sclerosis.

This research was conducted with a qualitative approach and custom / conventional analysis method in 2020 and 2021 in Tehran. The population or field studied in this study included all available women with MS in Tehran (with confirmation of membership in the Iranian MS Association) in 2020 and the first half of 2021. The research sample was saturated by selecting 11 women with MS using snowball sampling. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were used to collect data.

Analysis of participants' experiences led to the identification of three main categories of another experience, nurture yourself, grown inhibition for participants with high self-esteem, and 1 main category entitled frustration for participants with low self-esteem.

The results of the present study showed that women with MS can restore their self-esteem and move towards greater adaptation to the disease by thinking about advancing another life experience, using their remaining resources and accepting and coping with the disease. The findings also suggest that physical despair, over-focusing on the past and being passive in the face of illness can destroy a patient's self-esteem, and ultimately challenge the patient's acceptance and recovery process.