Article

Development and use of a measure for perception of disabilities. The subjective dimension of disability, the perception of disability,
is a dimension missing from the International Classification of Functioning,
Disability and Health (ICF), and from health-related quality of life (HRQOL)
instruments. However, it is a highly relevant dimension for clinical practice as
perceived disability may identify care needs. We therefore developed a measure
for this subjective dimension of disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) and
examined the contribution of this dimension to QOL. METHOD: A measure named the
Multiple Sclerosis Impact Profile-Disability Perception (MSIP-DP) was developed
to reflect a person's perception of disabilities reported using the original
MSIP-disability (MSIP-D) items. MS patients (n=530) completed both MSIP sections,
the medical outcome study short form questionnaire (SF-36), the World Health
Organisation Quality Of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) and questions concerning disease
severity. The contribution of disability perception (DP) to QOL in MS was
estimated using hierarchical multiple regression analyses after controlling for
MS severity. RESULTS: Confirmative factor analysis confirmed the hypothesised
disability perception domains that correspond with the related disability domains
in the MSIP. DP scales yielded sufficient reliability. DP explained a unique and
substantial part of the variance in QOL, particularly the perception of
impairments in mental functions. DISCUSSION: Results indicated that the
subjective dimension of functioning and health operationalised in the MSIP-DP is
a relevant concept in explaining QOL in MS. In clinical practice psychological
interventions addressing a patient's perception of disability, particularly of
impairments in mental functioning, may contribute to QOL.

Langue : ANGLAIS