What Predicts Changes in the Work Situation of Recently Diagnosed People with Multiple Sclerosis and do these Predictors also Apply to Healthy People?

Purpose: To study associations of baseline predictors with work difficulties and number of working hours after one year in recently diagnosed people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Furthermore, to analyze whether these predictors are generic, i.e., apply to healthy people as well, or are disease specific.

Methods: TEMPRANO and MS@Work data were combined resulting in a dataset of 135 recently diagnosed PwMS (≤ 1 year) and 172 healthy people. We analyzed the associations of baseline predictors that fit within the international classification of functioning and health (ICF) framework using a mixed-effect negative-binomial model with log link for work difficulties and number of working hours after one year, and fitted each model using a fully Bayesian approach.

Results: Slower information processing speed was a disease-specific predictor for more work difficulties after one year (posterior mean ratio (PMR) = 0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [0.69, 0.97]). Higher conscientiousness was a generic predictor for more working hours after one year (PMR = 1.02, 95%CI = [1.01, 1.03] for PwMS and PMR = 1.01, 95% CI = [1.00, 1.02] for healthy people). Being male (PMR = 0.75, 95% CI = [0.58, 0.96]), being younger (PMR = 0.99, 95% CI = [0.98, 1.00]), higher information processing speed (PMR = 1.08, 95% CI = [1.04, 1.13]), better learning and memory (PMR = 1.09, 95% CI = [1.03, 1.15]), and mentally burdensome job tasks (PMR = 1.36, 95% CI = [1.22, 1.52]) were disease-specific predictors for more working hours after one year.

Conclusion: For recently diagnosed PwMS, disease-specific predictors that fit within the ICF framework associate with perceived work difficulties and working hours after one year.