Awareness of executive functioning deficits in multiple sclerosis: Self versus informant ratings of impairment

Abstract

This study investigates the accuracy of self and informant ratings of executive dysfunction in a multiple sclerosis (MS) and control sample. Participants completed a neuropsychological battery. Participants and informants completed depression measures and the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX). MS participants rated themselves more impaired than controls, while informants' ratings were not statistically different. MS participants' performance on executive tasks was more highly correlated with self than informant DEX ratings. Discrepancies between informant DEX ratings and executive performance were related to executive functioning for the MS participants only. Overall, results indicate that MS patients were able to accurately rate their executive functioning.

Keywords:

• Multiple sclerosis
• Awareness
• Cognition
• Caregivers
• Questionnaire
• Neuropsychology

Some of the data from this investigation were presented at the 2004 annual conference of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and the 2005 annual conference of the International Neuropsychological Society. This research was conducted, in part, for the first author's doctoral dissertation at Penn State University. The authors have no financial interest or conflicts to disclose. Special thanks to the many neurologists in the Pennsylvania region who contributed their time to verifying multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnoses and ratings of course for the MS participants in the project. We are indebted to the participants and their significant others whose time and effort made this research possible.

Notes

¹There were 16 missing cases for the Stroop test and 2 missing cases for the RS. The large number of missing cases for the Stroop was due to the fact that this test was added to the battery after the study initially began. There were no other missing cases for any of the cognitive tests, and no participants were missing more than 2 test index scores. For participants who were missing test data, their index scores reflect the average of the available tests.

²No self-rated DEX scores were missing from the data; however, three informant-rated DEX scores (2 in the MS group and 1 in the control group) were missing.