Relationship between balance confidence and social engagement in people with multiple sclerosis

Objective: To evaluate the relationships among patient-reported balance confidence and social satisfaction and social participation in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). Methods: 75 ambulatory pwMS who had sustained at least two falls or near falls in the prior two months self-reported their balance confidence (Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) questionnaire) and social satisfaction and participation (Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures). Correlations between the ABC and PROMIS measures were examined using Spearman's rank correlation. Results: In a cross-sectional analysis, ABC scores and PROMIS scores for social satisfaction and social participation were statistically significantly correlated (ρ 0.37–0.54, p ≤ 0.001). The correlation between balance confidence and social satisfaction was consistently stronger at each time point than between balance confidence and social participation. Conclusion: Self-reported balance confidence is associated with both social satisfaction and social participation in pwMS who fall. The causal direction of this relationship remains uncertain.