Body Esteem Among Women with Multiple Sclerosis and its Relationship with Demographic, Clinical and Socio-Psychological Factors M. Wilski 1 & T. Tasiemski 1 & A. Dąbrowski 2 # International Society of Behavioral Medicine 2015 Abstract Purpose The principal aim of this study was to verify if spe- cific socio-demographic, clinical, and socio-psychological factors are correlates of body esteem in women with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods The study included 185 women with MS who com- pleted the Body Esteem Scale (BES), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29), Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ), Actually Re- ceived Support Scale (a part of the Berlin Social Support Scale), and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The patients were recruited as a result of cooperation with the Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation Centre in Borne Sulinowo and Polish Society of Multiple Sclerosis. The demographic characteristics of the participants and their illness-related problems were determined with a self-report survey. Results A hierarchical multiple regression revealed that four factors, psychological condition (R 2 = 0.23, p ≤ 0.001), re- ceived support (R 2 =0.28, p ≤ 0.001), personal control (R 2 = 0.30, p ≤ 0.001), and physical condition (R 2 =0.31, p ≤ 0.001), were significant correlates of the general body esteem in our study group of women with MS. The model explained 31 % of variance in body esteem. Conclusion Positive body esteem, an important component of self-esteem in women with MS, is associated with better social support, overcoming negative illness-related appraisals and improvement of psychological well-being. Subjective percep- tion of a negative impact of MS on one’ s physical condition may be helpful in the identification of women with MS being at increased risk of decreased body esteem. Keywords Multiple sclerosis . Body esteem . Self-esteem . Illness perception . Social support Introduction Body esteem refers to highly subjective general positive or negative self-evaluation of one’ s body or appearance. This product of thoughts, perceptions, and feelings with regards to body size, function, and capacity [1] can be modulated by a number of internal and external factors, such as age, sex, physical condition, and social and environmental variables [2]. Body esteem is considered a fundamental component of self-esteem, i.e., more global self-evaluation. This relationship is particularly evident among women who attach more impor- tance to the appearance and rely more on their own attractive- ness than men [3, 4]. Furthermore, it is to a large extent deter- mined by socio-cultural factors [5]. Many previous studies showed that physical disability has a negative impact on body esteem and consequently on overall self-esteem. For example, lower levels of these variables were observed in patients with somatization disorders [6], cancer [7], stroke [8], spinal cord injuries [9], and rheumatic diseases [10]. A similar tendency was also documented in individuals suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS). Patients with MS may suffer from a number of ailments, such as pain, fatigue, pyra- midal, sensory and cerebellar dysfunction, mood disturbances, * M. Wilski mwilski@wp.pl T. Tasiemski tasiemski@awf.poznan.pl A. Dąbrowski adriandabrowski1@gmail.com 1 University School of Physical Education, ul. Królowej Jadwigi 27/ 39, 61-871 Poznań, Poland 2 Radiology Department, Multidisciplinary Municipal Hospital, ul. Szwajcarska 3, 61-285 Poznań, Poland Int.J. Behav. Med. DOI 10.1007/s12529-015-9527-6