Evaluation of social cognition in multiple sclerosis (ms) patients through video-based real-life experiences: A Pilot study

Aim: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that is commonly seen in young adulthood. Individuals with MS may experience social cognition impairments and difficulties related to language. The aim is to address both social cognition and language skills on a common platform and examine how the problems in these skills affect the patients' quality of life. Method: The study included a total of 35 participants, consisting of 17 individuals with MS and 18 healthy controls. After obtaining sociodemographic information from the participants, the following assessments were administered: for the MS group, the Addenbrooke Cognitive Examination Battery and the Short Form SF-36 Quality of Life Scale; for the control group, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale; and for both groups, the Pilot Tool for Assessing Social Cognition through Video-Based Real-Life Scenarios was used. Data collection was conducted through face-to-face interviews, lasting approximately 45 minutes. The data obtained were recorded using a voice recorder. The narrative samples were transcribed into written form, and the internal state terms (cognitive, emotional, linguistic, physiological) and metaphorical expressions were manually counted. Results: According to the findings, a statistically significant difference was found between the Healthy group and the MS group in terms of emotional term usage. The emotional term scores of the control group were significantly higher than those of the MS group (Mann-Whitney U test; U=63.5; Z=-2.961; p=0.003<0.01). No differences were found in the other internal state terms or metaphorical expressions. Conclusion: The results indicated that individuals with MS used emotional internal state terms less frequently in their narratives. These findings underscore the need for a comprehensive assessment approach in the treatment of MS patients that focuses not only on neurocognitive evaluations but also on social cognition and language use. Such studies will facilitate the development of more comprehensive and effective approaches in MS treatment. Keywords: Multiple Sclerosis, social cognition, language and speech therapy, quality of life