Health-related toughness is a personality trait that has the potential to mitigate the psychological effects of living with a chronic illness. High morbidity and recurrence rates make neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) a serious chronic condition. Disabilities from neuromyelitis optica have been linked to higher levels of stress in several studies. The quality of life may suffer as a result of increased perceived stress, which in turn may cause feelings of exhaustion, worry, and sadness. The health-related hardiness education program’s all-encompassing psychological intervention may alter patients’ perspectives and resiliency to stressors. The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between disability and perceived stress in patients with NMOSD, and to educate patients about health-related hardiness in order to measure its impact on patients’ stress levels. There were 109 participants in total. Disablement and perceived stress were investigated using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Health-Related Hardiness Scale (HRHS). The mediating influence of health-related hardiness between these 2 factors was examined using the hierarchical multiple regression approach. Both groups were followed up regularly; the experimental group was provided health-related hardiness education in addition to the regular follow-up. The intervention’s efficacy was calculated using an independent-samples t-test. The findings revealed a connection between health-related resilience, functional limitations, and self-reported stress. There was an inverse relationship between Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and HRHS and a positive relationship between EDSS and PSS. The relationship between disability and perceived stress was partially mediated by health-related hardiness, with this mediating impact accounting for 18.3% of the overall effect. Patients in the experimental group had a substantial improvement in their HRHS and PSS scores after receiving health-related hardiness education compared to those in the control group. Health-related toughness, disability, and perceived stress were all linked in this research on people with NMOSD. In terms of health, hardiness acts as a moderator between impairment and emotional strain. Implementing health-related hardiness education for patients may increase health-related hardiness and decrease perceived stress.
Reference: ECTRIMS 2022
