Self-Perceived non-motor aspects of cervical dystonia and their association with disability.

Objective: To examine the multivariate association between a model of self-perceived non-motor aspects and disability in cervical dystonia.

Design: A prospective and correlational design with two points of assessment.

Subjects: All 273 members with cervical dystonia from the Swedish Dystonia Patient Association were invited to participate.

Methods: Data were collected with one self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent by post on two separate occasions. Disability was the primary outcome variable measured by the Functional Disability Questionnaire.

Results: The questionnaire was completed by 180 individuals (66%) on both occasions. The multivariate association between the non-motor model and disability was statistically significant (adjusted R2 0.46, F(7, 149) = 19.76, p = 0.001). This indicated that 46% of the variance in disability was explained by the non-motor model. Self-efficacy appeared to be the most salient predictor of disability.

Conclusion: The results of this study highlight the need for increasing awareness of self-perceived non-motor aspects among care providers treating patients with cervical dystonia. This presents opportunities for new rehabilitation possibilities that apply a behavioural medicine perspective.