A longitudinal examination of mental health predictors of sexual dysfunction in multiple sclerosis

Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common yet under-recognised complication in individuals living with multiple sclerosis (MS), affecting around 40% to 80% of women (Gava et al., 2019) and 31% to 92% of men with the condition (Dastoorpoor et al., 2021). While the neurological basis of MS - characterised by demyelination and lesion development in the central nervous system - directly impacts physical aspects of sexual response, there is growing recognition that mental health factors, such as depression, anxiety, pain and fatigue impact, play a pivotal role in shaping the overall sexual wellbeing of people with MS (Kessler et al., 2009).

This longitudinal study using transdiagnostic data aims to examine the predictive role of mental-health-related factors, such as depression, anxiety, fatigue, pain, sexual self-efficacy, body image dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptoms, on sexual dysfunction in people with multiple sclerosis, using a stepwise linear regression model.

The data was collected using online self-report questionnaires from participants diagnosed with MS, aged 18 years and older, living in Australia. The participants were recruited via MS Australia, clinical mailing lists, and online support groups.

Research Hypotheses:
H1: Higher levels of (1) depression, (2) anxiety, (3) pain, (4) fatigue, (5) body image dissatisfaction, (6) self-efficacy, and (7) eating disorder symptoms will be associated with greater sexual dysfunction.
H2: (8) Disability level and (9) disease duration will be positively correlated with SD.
H3: In line with the existing literature, depression, fatigue, self-efficacy, disability level and disease duration will be the strongest predictors.
H4: These predictors will be significant for both men and women.
H5: Eating disorder symptoms will add unique predictive value to the regression model.