Adversarial Growth in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and their Partners: Relationships with Illness Perceptions, Disability and Distress

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their partners show adversarial
growth and to examine which psychological and disability variables contribute to this in patients and their partners. The
study also investigated the relationship between growth and distress. Seventy-two patients with MS and their partners provided
demographic information and completed measures of posttraumatic growth, illness perceptions, depression, cognitive function
and disability. Both patients and partners showed adversarial growth, with patients reporting significantly higher growth
than partners. The only significant predictor for patient growth was partner growth, and vice versa. Dissimilarity in illness
representations between patients and their partners on the consequences of MS dimension, patient mood and patient growth accounted
for significant variance in partner growth. The findings support the idea of a ‘communal search for meaning’ where patients
and their partners experience the trauma of having a chronic illness and subsequently find positive aspects together.