Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Peer support needs and engagement among people with multiple sclerosis: Associations with social support, loneliness and wellbeing: A cross-sectional study. |
| Authors: |
Alaboson J; Maynooth University, Kildare, Ireland., Coffey L; Maynooth University, Kildare, Ireland., Maguire R; Maynooth University, Kildare, Ireland. |
| Source: |
Journal of health psychology [J Health Psychol] 2026 Aug; Vol. 31 (9), pp. 3777-3791. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jan 15. |
| Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
| Language: |
English |
| Journal Info: |
Publisher: Sage Publications Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9703616 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1461-7277 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 13591053 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Health Psychol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): |
Original Publication: London ; Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications, 1996- |
| MeSH Terms: |
Multiple Sclerosis*/psychology , Loneliness*/psychology , Social Support* , Peer Group*, Humans ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Psychological Well-Being ; Ireland ; Adult ; Aged |
| Abstract: |
Peer support may improve wellbeing in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). This study examined associations between peer support, social support, loneliness and wellbeing in PwMS, along with sociodemographic and health predictors of peer support need and engagement in online and in-person contexts. A cross-sectional survey, co-designed with public and patient involvement, was deployed among 218 PwMS in Ireland, with regression analyses used to explore predictors of needs for, and engagement with, peer support. Increasing disability levels and fewer years with MS were associated with higher peer support need. Wellbeing was significantly yet weakly positively correlated with in-person peer support engagement (rs = 0.1967, p = 0.005). However, only loneliness and social support were significant predictors of wellbeing, accounting for approximately 40% of the variance. Overall, PwMS need peer support, yet reported low engagement with peers. While no clear associations with wellbeing were established, findings suggest that peer support may improve psychosocial experiences in MS. |
| Competing Interests: |
Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. |
| Contributed Indexing: |
Keywords: loneliness; multiple sclerosis; peer support; social support; wellbeing |
| Entry Date(s): |
Date Created: 20260116 Date Completed: 20260714 Latest Revision: 20260726 |
| Update Code: |
20260726 |
| PubMed Central ID: |
PMC13365319 |
| DOI: |
10.1177/13591053251392873 |
| PMID: |
41540792 |
| Database: |
MEDLINE |