Table 1.
Comparison of percent of participants with certain demographic characteristics in pwMS (n = 87), all control subjects (n = 216) and a subsampled control group (n = 134).
| Variable | Category | pwMS | All Control Subjects | Control Group | pwMS—Control Group Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Women | 81.6 | 50.5 | 81.3 | χ2(1) = 0.002 p = 0.960 |
| Men | 18.4 | 49.5 | 18.7 | ||
| Right hand dominance | Yes | 93.1 | 90.7 | 93.3 | χ2(1) = 0.004 p = 0.951 |
| No | 5.7 | 8.8 | 6 | ||
| Education | Primary school | 3.4 | 2.8 | 3 | χ2(3) = 5.453 p = 0.141 |
| High school | 65.5 | 60.2 | 51.5 | ||
| Undergraduate study | 9.2 | 10.2 | 11.2 | ||
| Graduate study | 20.7 | 26.9 | 34.3 | ||
| Marriage status | Single | 21.8 | 22.2 | 20.9 | χ2(3) = 3.282 p = 0.350 |
| Marriage/cohabitation | 63.2 | 68.1 | 71.6 | ||
| Divorced/separated | 10.3 | 7.5 | 4.5 | ||
| Widow(er) | 3.4 | 2.3 | 3 | ||
| Working status | Student | 6.9 | 6 | 6.7 | χ2(7) = 52.819 p < 0.001 |
| Employee | 32.2 | 76.9 | 76.1 | ||
| Unemployed | 18.4 | 7.9 | 9.7 | ||
| Temporary sick leave | 6.9 | 0.5 | 0.7 | ||
| Permanent incapacity for work | 5.7 | 0 | 0 | ||
| A person who runs the household | 3.4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Disability pension | 23 | 8.3 | 6.7 | ||
| Other | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0 | ||
| Comorbidity | No | 64.4 | 80.1 | 78.4 | χ2(1) = 4.663 p = 0.031 |
| Yes | 28.7 | 15.3 | 17.2 | ||
| Age | M (SD) | 42.57 (12.2) | 43.8 (12.632) | 43.78 (12.749) |
t(219) = 0.700 p = 0.484 |
| Range | 19–73 | 18–81 | 22–73 |
Note. Comparisons between pwMS and all control subjects are not presented—they were of the same significance as between pwMS and the control group, except for gender, which had significantly different proportions due to the expected ratio of male to female MS patients in the general population.