Pain and Multiple Sclerosis

This study investigated the prevalence of pain and its pattern in multiple sclerosis and examined whether pain as a symptom of multiple sclerosis has an effect upon an individual's quality of life. It also examined the effects of coping strategies on such quality of life. Thirty-seven subjects, all with a definite diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and with varying experiences of pain, participated in the study. The Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale was administered to all subjects. The McGill Pain Questionnaire and the Coping Strategies Questionnaire were administered to those subjects who experienced pain. Sixty-eight per cent of the subjects in this sample experienced pain associated with multiple sclerosis. A higher intensity of pain and the use of behavioural, catastrophising and praying coping strategies were significantly related to a poorer quality of life