Multiple Sclerosis: Associations Between Physical Disability and Depression Are Not Mediated by Self-Reported Physical Activity

This study investigated the interrelatedness of physical disability, physical activity and depression among patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). We hypothesized that self-reported physical activity would mediate the effect of disability on depressive symptoms. Twenty-seven patients with MS (mean age: 49 years; 44.5% females) completed self-rating scales covering socio-demographic variables, intake of antidepressants, physical activity, and symptoms of depression; disability was measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). We found a higher level of disability to be significantly associated with more symptoms of depression. While higher reported physical activity was descriptively associated with lower depression scores and unrelated to EDSS, physical activity levels did not mediate the effect of disability on depressive symptoms. We concluded that increased disability was associated with more symptoms of depression and that self-reported physical activity did not mediate this association even though higher physical activity was separately related to fewer depression symptoms.