Money Management Activities in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis

Objectives To examine whether participants with multiple sclerosis (MS) have more problems in managing finances compared with persons without MS, and to examine the variables that may contribute to these problems. Design A cross-sectional study. Setting Nonprofit rehabilitation research institution and the community. Participants Participants (N=53) comprised adults with MS (n=30) and persons without MS (n=23) who were recruited from a nonprofit rehabilitation research institution and from the community. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Participants were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests, a money management survey, and a functional test to assess money management skills. Results Individuals with MS reported and demonstrated more problems managing money than persons without MS. Impaired cognitive functioning was significantly correlated with difficulties in money management. Self-report of functional status (Functional Behavior Profile) was significantly correlated with self-reported money management skills. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine money management in MS. Money management is an important activity of daily living that presents problems for individuals with MS. Managing one's own money requires adequate processing speed abilities as well as executive-attentional abilities. Additional studies are needed to explore this area and understand the nature of the problem.