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Western Journal of Nursing Research
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*Disabilities
*Multiple Sclerosis
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Marriage, Impairment, and Acceptance in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis

Tracie Harrison

School of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin Hartford Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Scholar

Alexa Stuifbergen

School of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin

Eishi Adachi

Department of Educational Psychology, University of Texas at Austin

Heather Becker

School of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between marital status, marital concern, perceived impairment, health-promoting behaviors, and acceptance of disability using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from a sample of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). We hypothesized that the quality and stability of the marital relationship would influence people’s ability to accept their disability and protect from accumulation of impairment over time. Furthermore, men and women would receive dissimilar benefits from marriage. These hypotheses were considered with repeated measures analysis, Pearson correlations, and independent sample t tests of data obtained from a longitudinal study of persons with MS. The findings indicate that acceptance of disability and perceived impairment increase significantly over time for men and women. For men, being married was associated with a greater acceptance of disability and less perceived impairment. Men were more concerned than the women about how MS affected their sexual relationships.

Key Words: disability • acceptance • gender • marital concern • multiple sclerosis

Western Journal of Nursing Research, Vol. 26, No. 3, 266-285 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0193945903260188
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