title: Illness perception, treatment beliefs, self-esteem, and self-efficacy as correlates of self-management in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Self-management of a disease is considered one of the most important factors affecting the treatment outcome. The research on the correlates of self-management in multiple sclerosis (MS) is limited. The aim of this study was to determine if personal factors, such as illness perception, treatment beliefs, self-esteem and self-efficacy, are correlates of self-management in MS.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study included 210 patients with MS who completed Multiple Sclerosis Self-Management Scale - Revised, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, Treatment Beliefs Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale. The patients were recruited from a MS rehabilitation clinic. Demographic data and illness-related problems of the study participants were collected with a self-report survey. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to determine associations between variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four factors: age at the time of the study (β = 0.14, P = 0.032), timeline (β = 0.16, P = 0.018), treatment control (β = 0.17, P = 0.022), and general self-efficacy (β = 0.19, P = 0.014) turned out to be the significant correlates of self-management in MS. The model including these variables explained 25% of variance in self-management in MS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Personal factors, such as general self-efficacy, perception of treatment control and realistic MS timeline perspective, are more salient correlates of self-management in MS than the objective clinical variables, such as the severity, type, and duration of MS.
authors.affiliation: University School of Physical Education, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilski
authors.affiliation: University School of Physical Education, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tasiemski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D057566:Self Report
keywords: illness perception; multiple sclerosis; self-efficacy; self-esteem; self-management; treatment beliefs