Institute of Psychology, Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Leiden University, PO Box 9555, 2300 RB, Leiden, the Netherlands; National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Industrieweg 130C, 3044 AT, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Neurology, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital, PO Box 90151, 5000 LC, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
Institute of Psychology, Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Leiden University, PO Box 9555, 2300 RB, Leiden, the Netherlands; National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Industrieweg 130C, 3044 AT, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Neurology, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital, PO Box 90151, 5000 LC, Tilburg, the Netherlands; Department of Care Ethics, University of Humanistic Studies, PO Box 797, 3500 AT, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2020 Jun;41:102036. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2020.102036. Epub 2020 Mar 2.
Recent studies report deficits in social cognition in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Social cognitive skills such as empathy are important for adequate social and occupational functioning. Our objectives are: (1) to examine whether empathy differs between individuals with MS and healthy controls, (2) to examine relations between empathy and cognitive, psychological and occupational functioning.
278 individuals with MS (relapsing-remitting subtype) and 128 healthy controls from the MS@Work study participated in this investigation. The participants completed questionnaires about demographics, cognitive, psychological and occupational functioning, and underwent neurological and neuropsychological examinations. Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to examine group differences in empathy. Pearson and Spearman rank correlation analyses were used to examine relations between empathy and the other measures.
Empathy did not differ between individuals with MS and healthy controls. In individuals with MS, higher empathy was correlated with a higher educational level (X(df) = 13.2(2), p = 0.001), better verbal learning (r = 0.20, p = 0.001), less symptoms of depression (r=-0.21, p = 0.001), higher extraversion (r = 0.25, p ≤ 0.001), agreeableness (r = 0.55, p ≤ 0.001) and conscientiousness (r = 0.27, p ≤ 0.001) and better occupational functioning in terms of work scheduling and output demands (r = 0.23, p = 0.002) and less cognitive/psychological work barriers (r = -0.21, p = 0.001). In healthy controls, higher empathy was correlated with less symptoms of depression (r = -0.34, p ≤ 0.001), less fatigue (r = -0.37, p ≤ 0.001), higher agreeableness (r = 0.59, p ≤ 0.001) and better occupational functioning in terms of work ability as compared to lifetime best (r = 0.28, p = 0.001) and less cognitive/psychological work barriers (r = -0.34, p ≤ 0.001). Empathy did not differ between unemployed and employed individuals with MS or healthy controls.
Empathy did not differ between individuals with MS and healthy controls. Within both investigated groups, higher empathy was weakly to moderately correlated with less symptoms of depression, higher agreeableness and better occupational functioning. We also found unique correlations for empathy within the investigated groups. Longitudinal studies are needed to further examine social cognition in relation to cognitive, psychological and occupational functioning in both individuals with MS and healthy controls. It would be particularly interesting to concurrently examine changes in the brain network involved with social cognition.
最近的研究报告显示多发性硬化症（MS）患者存在社会认知缺陷。同理心等社会认知技能对于充分的社交和职业功能很重要。我们的目标是：（1）检查 MS 患者与健康对照组之间的同理心是否存在差异，（2）检查同理心与认知、心理和职业功能之间的关系。
来自 MS@Work 研究的 278 名 MS 患者（复发缓解型）和 128 名健康对照组参加了这项研究。参与者完成了关于人口统计学、认知、心理和职业功能的问卷，并接受了神经学和神经心理学检查。使用 Mann-Whitney U 检验检查同理心在 MS 患者和健康对照组之间的差异。使用 Pearson 和 Spearman 秩相关分析检查同理心与其他测量之间的关系。
MS 患者与健康对照组之间的同理心没有差异。在 MS 患者中，较高的同理心与较高的教育水平（X(df) = 13.2(2), p = 0.001）、更好的言语学习（r = 0.20, p = 0.001）、较少的抑郁症状（r =-0.21, p = 0.001）、较高的外向性（r = 0.25, p ≤ 0.001）、宜人性（r = 0.55, p ≤ 0.001）和尽责性（r = 0.27, p ≤ 0.001）以及更好的职业功能有关，表现为工作安排和产出需求（r = 0.23, p = 0.002）和较少的认知/心理工作障碍（r =-0.21, p = 0.001）。在健康对照组中，较高的同理心与较少的抑郁症状（r =-0.34, p ≤ 0.001）、较少的疲劳（r =-0.37, p ≤ 0.001）、较高的宜人性（r = 0.59, p ≤ 0.001）以及更好的职业功能有关，与一生中最好的工作能力相比（r = 0.28, p = 0.001）和较少的认知/心理工作障碍（r =-0.34, p ≤ 0.001）。MS 患者和健康对照组中，失业和就业者之间的同理心没有差异。
MS 患者与健康对照组之间的同理心没有差异。在两个被调查组中，较高的同理心与较少的抑郁症状、较高的宜人性和更好的职业功能弱至中度相关。我们还在被调查组中发现了同理心的独特相关性。需要进行纵向研究，以进一步检查 MS 患者和健康对照组的社会认知与认知、心理和职业功能之间的关系。同时检查与社会认知相关的大脑网络的变化将特别有趣。
