Understanding the Effect of Multiple Sclerosis on General and Dimensions of Mental Health

Objective: The objective of the current study is to investigate how general and dimensions of mental health are affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: Factor analysis, generalized linear models, and one-sample t-tests were used to analyze data from 78 people with MS with a mean age of 52.19 (S.D. = 12.94) years old and 25.64% males and 38,516 people without MS with a mean age of 49.10 (S.D. = 18.24) years old and 44.27% males from Understanding Society. Results: The current study found that there are three underlying factors of the GHQ-12 labeled as GHQ-12A (social dysfunction and anhedonia; 6 items), GHQ-12B (depression and anxiety; 4 items), and GHQ-12C (loss of confidence; 2 items), and the general mental health, GHQ-12A (social dysfunction and anhedonia), and GHQ-12C (loss of confidence) are associated with MS. Conclusions: Effective mental health management in MS patients is important given mental health in people with MS is linked to the onset of MS and exacerbating disease progression/relapses.