Objective: We aimed to examine the illness perception characteristics of patients with myasthenia gravis and analyze the associated factors.
Methods: A general information questionnaire, Illness Perception Questionnaire, and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire were used to survey 90 patients with myasthenia gravis. One-way analysis of variance and multivariate linear regression were used for statistical analysis.
Results: The timeline (acute/chronic), consequence, and emotional representation scores of patients with myasthenia gravis were 18.31 ± 4.47, 18.58 ± 3.57, and 20.80 ± 4.56, respectively. Multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis showed that marital status, disease duration, educational level, disease type, and coping style are factors associated with illness perception in patients with myasthenia gravis.
Conclusion: Patients who have myasthenia gravis have a negative illness perception. Medical professionals should provide targeted intervention measures based on the factors associated with illness perception.
Keywords: illness perception; influencing factors; myasthenia gravis; questionnaire; variance and multivariate linear regression.
© 2021 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.