title: The impact of sexual dysfunction on health-related quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sexual dysfunction is a prevalent symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS) that may affect patients' health-related quality of life (HrQoL).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this paper is to examine the impact of sexual dysfunction on HrQoL in a large national sample using The Multiple Sclerosis Intimacy and Sexuality Questionnaire-19 (MSISQ-19).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were recruited from a large MS registry, the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis (NARCOMS) Registry. Participants self-reported demographic information and completed the Patient Determined Disease Steps (PDDS), MSISQ-19, and the Short Form-12 (SF-12).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study population included 6183 persons (mean age: 50.6, SD = 9.6; 74.7% female, 42.3% currently employed). Using multivariate hierarchical regression analyses, all variables excluding gender predicted both the physical component summary (PCS-12) and the mental component summary (MCS-12) of the SF-12. Scores on the MSISQ-19 uniquely accounted for 3% of the variance in PCS-12 scores while disability level, as measured by PDDS, accounted for 31% of the variance. Conversely, MSISQ-19 scores uniquely accounted for 13% of the variance in MCS-12 scores, whereas disability level accounted for less than 1% of the variance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with MS, sexual dysfunction has a much larger detrimental impact on the mental health aspects of HrQoL than severity of physical disability.
authors.affiliation: Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, USA.
authors.forename: Laura C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Schairer
authors.forename: Frederick W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Foley
authors.forename: Vance
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zemon
authors.forename: Tuula
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tyry
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Campagnolo
authors.forename: Ruth Ann
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Marrie
authors.forename: Elizabeth S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Gromisch
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schairer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009656:North America; D011788:Quality of Life; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Multiple sclerosis; quality of life