Table 3.

Variable importance in projection (VIP) scores of the different factors contributing to the different subscales of MSQoL‐54 in the whole cohort and in the different sexes

	Sex	Education	Age	Disease duration	EDSS	BVMT‐R score	SDMT score	CVLT‐II score	Physical fatigue	Social fatigue	Cognitive fatigue	Total fatigue	Depression
Change in health	Men	0.606	1.412	0.657	0.869	0.393	0.116	0.117	1.240	1.294	0.942	1.304	1.572
	Women	0.475	0.747	0.375	0.885	0.385	0.515	0.265	1.486	1.236	1.521	1.550	1.164
	Overall	0.530	0.943	0.466	0.915	0.414	0.438	0.242	1.507	1.320	1.452	1.575	1.321
Cognitive function	Men	0.624	0.822	0.477	0.623	0.309	0.488	0.795	1.442	1.165	1.420	1.494	1.291
	Women	0.432	0.674	0.532	0.646	0.663	0.765	0.653	1.332	1.369	1.342	1.475	1.257
	Overall	0.512	0.756	0.534	0.650	0.562	0.665	0.719	1.430	1.378	1.431	1.553	1.330
Emotional well‐being	Men	0.205	0.540	0.452	0.451	0.588	0.807	0.752	1.246	1.477	0.962	1.376	1.773
	Women	0.529	0.698	0.537	0.615	0.516	0.422	0.644	1.349	1.105	1.314	1.382	1.741
	Overall	0.453	0.681	0.531	0.579	0.550	0.546	0.708	1.384	1.271	1.269	1.449	1.836
Energy	Men	0.139	0.651	0.546	0.569	0.437	0.416	0.445	1.434	1.416	1.328	1.550	1.465
	Women	0.379	0.667	0.416	0.702	0.187	0.309	0.145	1.457	1.260	1.613	1.570	1.348
	Overall	0.321	0.693	0.478	0.677	0.263	0.337	0.248	1.517	1.365	1.598	1.636	1.446
Health distress	Men	0.247	0.547	0.286	0.787	0.369	0.445	0.327	1.566	1.361	1.136	1.536	1.595
	Women	0.332	0.460	0.275	0.719	0.488	0.348	0.604	1.483	1.198	1.417	1.506	1.565
	Overall	0.321	0.494	0.287	0.767	0.485	0.399	0.553	1.569	1.296	1.398	1.580	1.637
Health perception	Men	0.418	0.858	0.579	1.128	0.373	0.336	0.179	1.463	1.212	1.094	1.424	1.538
	Women	0.470	0.856	0.436	0.820	0.357	0.432	0.277	1.454	1.146	1.500	1.498	1.368
	Overall	0.469	0.870	0.502	0.976	0.413	0.465	0.269	1.510	1.215	1.429	1.533	1.467
Overall quality of life	Men	0.333	0.411	0.519	0.711	1.093	1.207	0.799	1.237	1.015	0.866	1.183	1.716
	Women	0.551	0.487	0.108	0.844	0.458	0.522	0.575	1.359	1.194	1.347	1.427	1.673
	Overall	0.518	0.472	0.228	0.850	0.665	0.752	0.669	1.395	1.217	1.284	1.439	1.761
Pain	Men	0.195	1.029	0.928	0.996	0.189	0.172	0.213	1.327	1.282	1.265	1.435	1.370
	Women	0.522	0.791	0.471	0.686	0.233	0.422	0.186	1.411	1.246	1.439	1.495	1.515
	Overall	0.439	0.915	0.659	0.814	0.204	0.312	0.197	1.450	1.313	1.450	1.545	1.538
Physical health	Men	0.226	1.163	0.882	1.491	0.628	0.368	0.216	1.427	0.876	1.198	1.321	1.018
	Women	0.438	0.964	0.690	1.149	0.368	0.492	0.315	1.429	1.059	1.485	1.451	1.063
	Overall	0.396	1.066	0.778	1.294	0.448	0.451	0.296	1.496	1.059	1.470	1.484	1.100
Role limitation due to emotional problems	Men	0.513	0.946	0.600	0.820	0.482	0.471	0.988	1.307	1.191	1.162	1.364	1.429
	Women	0.308	0.574	0.441	0.787	0.632	0.680	0.347	1.320	1.321	1.365	1.459	1.516
	Overall	0.398	0.740	0.526	0.832	0.593	0.605	0.597	1.380	1.342	1.363	1.498	1.562
Role limitation due to physical problems	Men	0.401	1.043	0.841	1.305	0.246	0.230	0.203	1.409	1.082	1.287	1.410	1.178
	Women	0.375	0.820	0.569	1.013	0.273	0.501	0.252	1.413	1.135	1.521	1.480	1.288
	Overall	0.398	0.913	0.669	1.128	0.273	0.428	0.248	1.478	1.176	1.525	1.532	1.316
Sexual function	Men	0.077	0.894	0.598	0.648	0.889	0.434	0.724	1.311	1.460	1.204	1.472	1.204
	Women	0.198	1.189	0.625	0.817	0.166	0.471	0.160	1.509	0.987	1.321	1.418	1.486
	Overall	0.183	1.183	0.638	0.757	0.307	0.381	0.309	1.546	1.161	1.367	1.514	1.495
Satisfaction with sexual function	Men	0.040	0.993	0.791	0.885	1.086	0.519	0.949	1.170	1.327	0.863	1.259	1.340
	Women	0.322	1.213	0.579	0.775	0.038	0.288	0.165	1.531	1.064	1.307	1.451	1.445
	Overall	0.258	1.217	0.683	0.850	0.292	0.365	0.422	1.527	1.210	1.258	1.491	1.506
Social function	Men	0.541a	0.772	0.934	1.059	0.642	0.685	0.439	1.223	1.522	0.932	1.372	1.217
	Women	0.190	0.345	0.470	0.765	0.106	0.177	0.159	1.620	1.176	1.335	1.540	1.676
	Overall	0.348	0.515	0.704	0.967	0.220	0.448	0.297	1.553	1.370	1.246	1.556	1.588

All VIP scores from all the latent factors examined by the PLS analysis were in concordance with each other; therefore, all the values shown in the table are that of latent variable no. 1, except for education's influence on men's social function, where latent factor no. 1 fell out of line from all other concordant and significant VIP scores for the rest latent factors.

^aVIP scores latent factors 1–5 are as follows: 0.541, 1.402, 1.386, 1.382, 1.381.