Table 1.
Characteristics of 213 patients with MS.
| Variables* | Mean/% |
|---|---|
| Gender, % | |
| Women | 78 |
| Men | 22 |
| Age, years (mean, SD) | 42.6 ± 11.4 |
| Family status, % | |
| Married | 56 |
| Living with partner | 17 |
| Divorced | 8 |
| Single | 19 |
| Educational level, % | |
| Secondary (Hauptschule) | 22 |
| Junior high school (Realschule) | 33 |
| High school (Gymnasium) | 36 |
| Other | 9 |
| Religious orientation, % | |
| Christian | 74 |
| Other | 8 |
| None | 18 |
| Spiritual/religious self-perception, % | |
| Neither religious nor spiritual (R−S−) | 54 |
| Not religious but spiritual (R−S+) | 16 |
| Religious but not spiritual (R+S−) | 19 |
| Both religious and spiritual (R+S+) | 20 |
| Employment status, % | |
| At pension | 32 |
| Unable to work | 7 |
| Unemployed | 3 |
| House work | 8 |
| Self-employed | 4 |
| Employed (business) | 46 |
| Course of MS, % | |
| Relapsing remitting | 51 |
| Progressive relapsing | 25 |
| Chronic progressive | 23 |
| EDSS score (mean, SD; range) | 3.7 ± 1.8 (0–7.5) |
| 0.0–1.5 (%) | 10 |
| 2.0–3.5 (%) | 29 |
| 4.0–6.5 (%) | 33 |
| 7.0–10 (%) | 2 |
| No information (%) | 26 |
| Self-perceived health affection (mean ± SD, range) | 42.3 ± 21.5 (0–90) |
*Data refer to the responding patients (i.e., 8 individuals did not state their gender, or 20 individuals did not provide information on their course of MS).