title: A profile of support group use and need among middle-aged and older adults with multiple sclerosis.
abstract: This study compared middle-aged and older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS, N = 1,275) according to their use of support groups and identified factors associated with perceived need. Over 64.6% (n = 824) of participants had attended a MS support group meeting at least once. Individuals who had never attended a group were more likely to reside in urban or suburban communities, report lower symptom interference, and fewer activity limitations. Women, individuals without a helper, and people with greater symptom interference were more likely to perceive a need for a support group. Findings raise questions for professionals involved in developing and implementing multiple sclerosis support groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA. marciaf@uic.edu
authors.forename: Marcia L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Finlayson
authors.forename: Chi C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000523:psychology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012648:Self Care; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012944:Social Support