The Association of Anxiety and Depression with the Quality of Life of People with Multiple Sclerosis

The quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis is not only influenced by factors that lead to neurological disability or factors from the spectrum of a person’s demographic characteristics, but also by various mental and psychological factors that lead to altered states of these people. The aim of the research was to determine the correlation of anxiety and depression with the quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis. The sample consisted of 100 participants with multiple sclerosis (40% male, average age 47.8). The instruments used in the research included: The Beck Depression Inventory, The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Instrument. 75% of our participants showed significant symptoms of state anxiety, and 71% of them showed significant symptoms of trait anxiety. At the same time 59% had minimal depression and 7% had severe depression. A negative correlation was found between state anxiety and physical health (r = -0.609, p < 0.01), trait anxiety and physical health (r = -0.757, p < 0.01), state anxiety and the mental health (r = - 0.639; p < 0.01), trait anxiety and mental health (r = -0.819, p < 0.01), as well as depression and physical health (r = - 0.670, p <0.01) and depression and mental health (r = - 0.750, p <0.01). Depression and anxiety correlate negatively with quality of life and require psychosocial and social support planning programs in rehabilitation of people with multiple sclerosis.