THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT AND LIFE SATISFACTION IN DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND DISSOCIATIVE SYMPTOM SEVERITY AMONG PATIENTS WITH FUNCTIONAL NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOM DISORDER: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
Keywords:
Anxiety, Depression, Dissociation, Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder, Life Satisfaction, Psychosocial Resilience, Social Support.Abstract
Background: Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder
(FNSD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder that results in disabling neurological
symptoms that are not readily attributable to structural neurological disease.
Depression, anxiety, and dissociative symptoms are common in FNSD,
significantly contributing to disability and reduced quality of life. Research
to date has concentrated largely on symptom mechanisms and vulnerability,
whereas comparatively less attention has been given to psychosocial protective
factors such as perceived social support and life satisfaction that may buffer
emotional distress.
Objective.: To
investigate the associations between perceived social support, life
satisfaction, depression, anxiety, and dissociative symptom severity in
patients with FNSD.
Methods: A
cross-sectional analytical study was carried out with 700 patients with FNSD
attending the psychiatry department of Mardan medical complex tertiary care
teaching hospital in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Perceived social support,
life satisfaction, anxiety, depression, and dissociative symptoms were assessed
using standardised questionnaires. Because a proportion of participants had
limited or no formal literacy, all instruments were administered by trained
clinicians in a structured interview format rather than being self-completed.
Pearson product–moment correlations were computed.
Results: Higher perceived
social support and greater life satisfaction were significantly related to
lower depression, anxiety, and dissociative symptom scores (all p < .01).
Dissociative symptom severity showed the strongest inverse associations, with
life satisfaction (r = −.56) and perceived social support (r = −.53).
Conclusions: Psychosocial resources appear to play a protective role in patients with FNSD. Interventions targeting social relationships and subjective well-being may reduce emotional distress and improve clinical outcomes
