Support Networks in MS Care Partners
This research surveyed 15 MS care partners, finding that their support networks averaged 12 sources of support, primarily from friends and family. It showed that resilience in care partners and lower neuroticism were associated with larger support networks.
- Tags
- #MSResearch
- Most relevant to
- —
- Human efficacy
- Not established from this source
- Mechanism
- Not reported
- Evidence strength
- Limited
- Outcome
- Not reported
Why it matters
Understanding the dynamics of support networks in MS care partners can help identify opportunities for increasing resilience and emotional support, which is critical for caregivers.
What this does not prove
The small sample size limits the generalizability of the findings, making it unclear if these results apply to larger populations of MS care partners.
Next milestone
No next milestone was established from the available source.
Study facts
- Study design
- Observational
- Participants / samples
- 15 · basis not reported
- Randomised
- Not reported
- Controlled
- Not reported
- Primary endpoint met
- Not reported
- Relevant MS type
- Not reported
- Publication date
- 2026-07-27
- Evidence reviewed
- Abstract only
- Regulatory approval
- Not reported
- Research areas
- Not classified
- Biological target
- Not reported
- Pathway
- Not reported
- Population
- Predominantly women (n = 13, 86.7%) with a mean age of 50.8 (SD = 11.8) years; median care-recipient PDDS score of 5.
- Size of effect
- Not reported
- Secondary endpoints
- Not reported
- MRI endpoints
- Not reported
- Biomarkers
- Not reported
- Safety
- Not reported
Original sources
- Primary evidenceComponents of the Support Networks of Multiple Sclerosis Care Partners. ↗DOI: 10.7224/1537-2073.2025-049
Supporting passages (10)
study phasestudy sought to characterize the support networks used by MS care partners and to identify key characteristics associated with support network size.
study designMETHODS: Fifteen MS care partners completed an online survey.
subjectsFifteen MS care partners completed an online survey.
sample sizeFifteen MS care partners completed an online survey.
peer reviewedInternational journal of MS care
populationDISCUSSION: Participants were predominantly women (n = 13, 86.7%) with a mean age of 50.8 (SD = 11.8) years, and reported a median care-recipient Patient-Determined Disease Steps (PDDS) score of 5.
findingsSupport networks contained a median of 12 different sources of support (range, 8-27).
publication datePublication date: 2026-07-27
limitationsTitle: Components of the Support Networks of Multiple Sclerosis Care Partners.
peer reviewedPublication types: Journal Article
AI assessment, not yet reviewed by a person · version 1 · Community votes are separate from evidence review.