A Dutch validation study of the Multiple Sclerosis Work Difficulties Questionnaire in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis

Elianne van Egmond; Dennis van Gorp; Cynthia Honan; Marco Heerings; Peter Jongen; Jac van der Klink; Michiel Reneman; Ernesto Beenakker; Stephan Frequin; Koen de Gans; Gerald Hengstman; Elske Hoitsma; Jop Mostert; Wim Verhagen; Désirée Zemel; Huub Middelkoop; Leo Visser; Karin van der Hiele

doi:10.1080/09638288.2019.1686072

A Dutch validation study of the Multiple Sclerosis Work Difficulties Questionnaire in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis

Disabil Rehabil. 2021 Jun;43(13):1924-1933. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2019.1686072. Epub 2019 Nov 8.

Authors

Elianne van Egmond^{1

2

3}, Dennis van Gorp^{1

2

3

4}, Cynthia Honan⁵, Marco Heerings¹, Peter Jongen^{6

7}, Jac van der Klink⁸, Michiel Reneman⁹, Ernesto Beenakker¹⁰, Stephan Frequin¹¹, Koen de Gans¹², Gerald Hengstman¹³, Elske Hoitsma¹⁴, Jop Mostert¹⁵, Wim Verhagen¹⁶, Désirée Zemel¹⁷, Huub Middelkoop^{2

18}, Leo Visser^{3

4}, Karin van der Hiele^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
² Department of Psychology, Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
³ Department of Neurology, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
⁴ Department of Care Ethics, University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
⁵ Discipline of Psychology, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia.
⁶ MS4 Research Institute, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
⁷ Department of Community and Occupational Medicine, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
⁸ Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
⁹ Department of Rehabilitation, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
¹⁰ Department of Neurology, Medical Centre Leeuwarden, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.
¹¹ Department of Neurology, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands.
¹² Department of Neurology, Groene Hart Hospital, Gouda, The Netherlands.
¹³ Department of Neurology, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
¹⁴ Department of Neurology, Alrijne Hospital Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands.
¹⁵ Department of Neurology, Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem, The Netherlands.
¹⁶ Department of Neurology, Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
¹⁷ Department of Neurology, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
¹⁸ Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.

PMID: 31702954
DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2019.1686072

Abstract

Purpose: The current study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Multiple Sclerosis Work Difficulties Questionnaire-23 (MSWDQ-23).

Methods: Two hundred and thirty-nine employed persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 59 healthy controls completed the MSWDQ-23. To verify the factor structure, a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted. To assess construct validity, the MSWDQ-23 scores were correlated to measures of physical disability, fatigue, cognitive and neuropsychiatric problems, depression, health-related quality of life, and work-related variables. MSWDQ-23 scores were compared within different age groups, gender, education levels, and job types. Predictive validity was assessed using a logistic regression analysis to predict a deterioration in employment status after one year based on MSWDQ-23 scores.

Results: The internal consistency of the MSWDQ-23 was acceptable (α = 0.913, 95% CI = 0.897-0.928) and the results indicated a fair fit. The MSWDQ-23 showed acceptable construct validity, confirming 94% of the hypotheses. The total scale and the psychological/cognitive subscale were able to predict a deterioration in employment status after one year (χ²(1)=18.164, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The Dutch version of the MSWDQ-23 is a valid and internally consistent instrument to measure self-reported work difficulties in persons with MS.Implications for rehabilitationThe Dutch version of the 23-item Multiple Sclerosis Work Difficulties Questionnaire (MSWDQ-23) is a reliable and valid tool to measure self-reported work difficulties in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).More psychological and cognitive work difficulties are predictive of a deteriorated employment status after one year.The MSWDQ-23 is a helpful tool for researchers and (occupational) health professionals to identify current work difficulties in persons with MS and identify persons at risk for a deterioration in employment one year later.

Keywords: Multiple sclerosis; employment status; surveys and questionnaires; validation studies; work.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Employment
Humans
Multiple Sclerosis*
Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting*
Quality of Life
Reproducibility of Results
Surveys and Questionnaires