The Relationship Between Perceived Social Support With Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Psychological manifestations, such as depression, anxiety, and stress are common in patients with MS. Social support is involved in the well-being of patients with MS. This study aims to assess the relationship between perceived social support with depression, anxiety, and stress in patients with MS.

This descriptive correlation study was conducted on 240 patients with MS who were referred to the MS Center of Isfahan Province, Iran. Three questionnaires of the depression anxiety stress scale 21 (DASS-21), social support, and demographic questionnaires were used to collect data. Data were analyzed with SPSS software, version 20 using descriptive and analytical statistics (independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation). 

In the current study, the mean perceived social support was 27.35±9.06. The mean depression, anxiety, and stress were 14.96±5.42, 13.92±5.88, and 15.39±4.82, respectively. In addition, an inverse correlation was observed between social support with depression, and anxiety (P<0.01). Moreover, no significant relationship was observed between social support and stress (P=0.21). Social support was a significant negative predictor that accounted for 11.8% of the variance in depression (R2=0.118, P<0.001) and 3.4% of the variance in anxiety (R2=0.034, P=0.002).

According to the results of this study, social support of patients with MS can be one of the effective suggestions to decrease depression and anxiety.