The following is a summary of “Exploring humor as a coping factor against depressive mood and fear of progression in people with multiple sclerosis with moderate disability: A cross-sectional analysis of a rehabilitation cohort,” published in the September 2024 issue of Neurology by Nielsen et al.
People with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) often experience stress, depression, and fear of progression (FoP), while a sense of humor can enhance resilience.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study examining humor’s role in coping with depressive mood and FoP in pwMS.
They comprised 77 German inpatients aged 25–64 years, mainly with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Blockwise regression analyses were performed to explore the connections among humor skills (Sense of Humor Scale, SHS), depressive mood (Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CES-D), and (FoP-Questionnaire, FoP-Q) while adjusting for demographic, disease-specific, and self-management factors. Correlational and moderator analyses were executed to assess how humor styles (Comic Style Markers, CSM) and self-observation (as a self-distancing measure, Questionnaire to Assess Resources and Self-Management Skills) influenced these relationships.
The results showed that summed SHS score significantly predicted less depressive mood (CES-D, RΔ = 0.05, P=0.005), lower (FoP, FoP-Q sum score, RΔ = 0.06, P=0.004), and improved anxiety coping (FoP-Q anxiety coping, RΔ = 0.05, P=0.007). Light humor style was linked to specific FoP-Q scales, while dark humor style showed no correlation with any study variables. Additionally, the self-observation subscale did not moderate the relationship between SHS and emotional disorders.
Investigators concluded that pwMS who possess humor skills exhibited lower levels of depression and FoP, suggesting the potential benefits of incorporating adaptive humor into psychosocial interventions.
Source: msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(24)00482-6/fulltext
