Profiles of resilience in multiple sclerosis family care-partners: A Canadian cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Psychological resilience may play an important role in protecting multiple sclerosis care-partners from the negative effects of their support role. However, predictors of resilience in this population have yet to be identified. Objectives To identify characteristics predictive of psychological resilience in multiple sclerosis care-partners as informed by the Ecological Model of Resilience. Methods Informal multiple sclerosis care-partners ( n = 540) completed an online survey. Psychological resilience was measured using the 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Sociodemographic and care-context predictors of resilience were analyzed using hierarchical regression. Results The mean resilience score was 59.0 ( SD = 7.6) out of a possible 100. Sociodemographic variables accounted for 31% of the variance in resilience scores in multiple sclerosis care-partners. When care-context variables were incorporated into the model, 55% of variance was explained ( F[7,320] = 26.824, p < 0.001). Each group of variables remained significant in both low disability and high disability models. Social support was the only individual variable that remained significant across all models ( p < 0.05). Conclusions Multiple sclerosis care-partners differ strikingly from other caregiving populations. Both sociodemographic and care-context variables were found to promote or hinder resilience in multiple sclerosis care-partners. Social support, in particular, may be an important target for promoting resilience in multiple sclerosis care-partners and could be leveraged in future initiatives.