Dual-task difficulties as a risk factor for unemployment in people with multiple sclerosis.

Abstract

No study has investigated the impact of dual-tasking difficulties as a risk factor for unemployment in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). The aim was to examine the influence of dual-task performance on employment status and work difficulties and to identify the predictors of employment status in pwMS. Eighty-four pwMS, including 42 employed and 42 unemployed, participated in the study. Dual-task difficulties were assessed using the Dual-task Impact on Daily-living Activities-Questionnaire (DIDA-Q), while dual-task performance was evaluated through the 30-second Walk Test and Nine-Hole Peg Test, incorporating a cognitive task. Walking and cognitive function were also measured. Employed pwMS had better scores in walking, cognitive function, single and dual-task performance than unemployed pwMS (p<.05). Lower scores in walking (odds ratio [OR]=1.81, p<.001) and upper extremity-related (OR=1.44, p=.019) dual-task performance and higher scores in the cognitive subscale of the DIDA-Q questionnaire (OR=1.20, p=.037) were significantly associated with higher odds of being unemployed. Among employed pwMS, DIDA-Q subscales showed moderate-to-strong correlations with MSWSDQ-23 scores. The other variables showed weak-to-moderate correlations with subscale and total scores of MSWSDQ-23. Cognitive function, as opposed to motor function, has been found to be a significant predictor of unemployment in pwMS.