A Study of Multiple Predictors of Cognitive Fatigue in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

Persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) commonly experience cognitive fatigue (CF), defined as a decrease in cognitive performance over a sustained activity and measured objectively or subjectively. In the present research, we evaluated the extent to which depression, anxiety, information processing speed, sleep quality, and disease severity predict subjective and objective CF, in a sample of 55 PwMS (37 females, M = 44.23). Although no statistically significant predictors of objective CF were demonstrated, all variables predicted subjective CF, R2adj = .384 [F (6, 40) = 5.783, p = .0002]. In particular, depression and information processing speed were found to be significant predictors of subjective CF when controlling for anxiety, sleep quality, and disease severity. Findings are discussed in the context of treating subjective CF through treatment of these affective and cognitive factors (e.g., through psychotherapy)