Perceptions of cognitive symptoms among people aging with multiple sclerosis and their caregivers.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to examine the nature and extent of agreement on cognitive symptoms reported by people aging with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their primary caregivers and the factors associated with disagreement.


METHODS
Data were generated from telephone interviews with 279 dyads of people with MS and their caregivers.


RESULTS
Eighty dyads (28.7%) disagreed about the presence of cognitive symptoms in the person with MS. Disagreeing dyads were of two types: a dyad in which the person with MS indicated no cognitive symptoms, but the caregiver did (41 dyads; 14.7%), and a dyad in which the person with MS indicated cognitive symptoms, but the caregiver did not (39 dyads, 14%). Multinomial regression showed that gender and the number of years the person with MS has experienced symptoms were associated with type of disagreement.


CONCLUSIONS
The results point to the importance of discussing cognitive symptoms with people with MS and their caregivers.
Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1919 West Taylor Street, Mail Code 811, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. marciaf@uic.edu
Marcia
M
Finlayson
Eynat
E
Shevil
Chi C
CC
Cho
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D020377:Self Efficacy