This article presents a replication of Rumrill, Roessler, and Fitzgerald’s 2004 analysis of a three-factor model of the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) on quality of life (QOL). The three factors in the original model included illness-related, employment-related, and psychosocial adjustment factors.
OBJECTIVE:
To test hypothesized relationships between QOL and illness-related, employment-related, and psychosocial variables using data from a survey of the employment concerns of Americans with MS (N = 1,839).
METHODS:
An ex post facto, multiple correlational design was employed incorporating correlational and multiple regression analyses.
RESULTS:
QOL was positively related to educational level, employment status, job satisfaction, and job-match, and negatively related to number of symptoms, severity of symptoms, and perceived stress level. The three-factor model explained approximately 37 percent of the variance in QOL scores.
CONCLUSIONS:
The results of this replication confirm the continuing value of the three-factor model for predicting the QOL of adults with MS, and demonstrate the importance of medical, mental health, and vocational rehabilitation interventions and services in promoting QOL.
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