Demographic, Functional Factors,and Residential Circumstance as Predictors of the Specialized Housing Needs of Americans with Multiple Sclerosis

摘要

This study examined the demographic, disease-related, functional, and residential factors associated with selected specialized housing concerns of adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). Participating in a national random survey, 5,082 adults with MS provided data for the study. Backward stepwise multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess the unique and multiple associations between predictor variables, including demographic, functional, housing, and MS characteristics, and three different housing-related outcome variables. Approximately 22% of the variability in participants' self-reported unmet housing needs, 31% of the variability related to confidence in one's ability to live independently, and 21% of the variability in confidence in one's ability to afford to live independently was explained by the predictor variables. The implications of the findings for persons with MS and rehabilitation professionals are described