Attentional lapses, emotional regulation and quality of life in multiple sclerosis

Abstract
We investigated the role of attentional lapses and emotion regulation in predicting multiple aspects of Quality of Life (QoL) in MS. Individuals with MS (n=86) reported on frequency of attentional lapses using the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire, deployment of different emotion regulation strategies using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and QoL on a range of domains using the WHOQoL-BREF. Regression analyses indicated that attentional failures and infrequent use of emotional reappraisal strategies predicted variance in all aspects of QoL, in addition to effects of disease severity (total R(2)s ranged from .134 to .446). Problems with attentional lapses and a failure to use effective emotion regulation strategies may contribute to reduced QoL in MS.