Assertiveness, self-esteem and perception of stress in persons affecting multiple sclerosis

Cilj studije bio je ispitati razlikuju li se osobe s multiplom sklerozom od zdravih osoba u asertivnosti, samopoštovanju i stresu. Sudionici (N=60) u istraživanju bile su osobe ženskog spola. Prvu skupinu (n=30) činile su osobe sa dijagnosticiranim MS-om, dok su drugu skupinu (n=30) činile sudionice iz opće populacije. Sudionice iz skupine osoba s dijagnosticiranim MS-om bile su regrutirane putem grupa koje okupljaju te osobe na društvenim mrežama te su samostalno popunjavale upitnike kojima su pristupale putem interneta. Sudionice bez dijagnoze MS-a također su bile regrutirane preko društvenih mreža, te su popunjavale iste upitnike, s istim uputama. Set upitnika čine Rosenbergova skala samopoštovanja (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Rosenberg, 1965), Skala percipiranog stresa (PSS- Perceived Stress Scale, Cohen, 1983) te Skala asertivnosti (Mihaljević, 2006). Kako bismo dobili podatke o stanju sudionica prije dijagnoze MS-a, odnosno iz ekvivalentnog perioda života kod osoba iz opće populacije, obje su grupe ispunjavale dvije verzije upitnika. Pri tom se jedna verzija upitnika odnosila na trenutno stanje, a druga je verzija od sudionice iziskivala retrospektivan odgovor o stanju iz perioda prije dijagnoze, odnosno ekvivalentnog perioda za zdrave sudionike. Rezultati ukazuju na niži stupanj asertivnosti kod sudionica iz skupine kojoj je dijagnosticirana multipla skleroza.The goal of the study was to examine whether individuals with multiple sclerosis differ from healthy individuals in their assertiveness, self-esteem and perception of stress. Participants (N = 60) in the study were female. The first group (n = 30) consists of people with diagnosed MS, while the other group (n = 30) consists of participants from the general population. Participants in the group with diagnosed MS were recruited through social media groups which gather these people and they independently filled out the questionnaires which they accessed over the internet. Participants without diagnosed MS were also recruited through social media and they filled out the same questionnaires with the same instructions. The set of questionnaires consists of Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale, Rosenberg, 1965, PSS Perceived Stress Scale, Cohen, 1983, and Assertiveness Scale (Mihaljević, 2006). In order to get information about the condition of the participants prior to MS diagnosis, or from an equivalent period of life in the general population, both groups filled out two versions of the questionnaire. One version of the questionnaire referred to the current situation, and the other version required the participant to give a retrospective response about the condition from the period before being diagnosed and the equivalent period for healthy participants, respectively. The results indicate a lower degree of assertiveness among participants in the group diagnosed with MS