A REVIEW OF THE PSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEMS OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS

Abstract

MS patients are faced with many problems in their daily lives since the date of their diagnosis. The main purpose of this study is to describe the psychosocial problems of MS patients. The sample group of this study prepared in a convergent parallel mixed research design consists of 216 participants who have been diagnosed with MS. In this study conducted in a mixed research design, the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were examined by asking open-ended questions, and the problems experienced by MS patients in various fields and the characteristics of psychosocial problems. IBM SPSS program was used in the analysis of quantitative research data for sociodemographic characteristics. In the analysis of open-ended questions in the interview form, descriptive analysis method was used by presenting thematic findings based on qualitative research methodology. According to the findings of the study, the majority of MS patients are women and the average age is generally between 31-40 years. The study shows that MS patients have high anxiety levels and are psychosocially dependent on someone else, communication problems and their experiences of living apart from the family are determinant in these problems. Based on these results, it is recommended to implement MS research and application centers, especially psychosocial support-oriented, for individuals with MS, to produce various social policies for the problems experienced in health institutions, and to carry out awareness and awareness studies on MS disease.