Background
To date, we have a relatively poor understanding of how people with MS feel about their bodies and how these feelings may impact their mood, sexual functioning, and quality of life. If you decide to take part, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire that will ask about elements of body image and awareness, general mood, quality of life, and sexual functioning.
What we know
Many people with MS report changes in their body image and mood since their diagnosis. Some people with MS can also experience issues with sexual functioning. This can be due to a range of physical and psychological factors and can negatively affect their quality of life.
Our study
We hope to explore how people with MS feel about their bodies and how this compares to people without MS. Given that someone’s sexual experience relies on how they feel about themselves, we hope to gain a better understanding of how an MS diagnosis may affect how the body is viewed and experienced, as well as how it interacts with mood and sexual functioning to impact quality of life.
This study hopes to inform researchers and clinicians about the body image, mood, sexual functioning, and health-related quality of life of people with MS. We hope that this will help us move towards better provisions of care and support for people with MS.
How you can get involved!
If you would like to take part, simply click here.
Our questionnaire will take about 15-20 minutes and all responses are anonymous. We would also really appreciate you sharing this survey link with anyone you think might be interested in taking part.
Project Investigator Contact Details
If you want more information, please contact Erin Breheny at erin.breheny@ucdconnect.ie and she will be happy to answer any questions you have in relation to the study.
This research is supervised by Dr Sarah Cooney, Associate Professor of Psychology, University College Dublin, and Dr Fiadhnait O’Keeffe, Principal Specialist Neuropsychologist, St. Vincent’s University Hospital.
This study has been approved by the University College Dublin, Research Ethics Committee.