Dyadic psychosocial interventions in couples facing multiple sclerosis: a systematic review

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their partners face numerous disease-related challenges, affecting both their mental health and partnership quality. However, limited research has examined dyadic interventions aimed at addressing these issues in couples living with MS. This systematic review aimed to identify clinical studies involving couples affected by MS that focused on the effects of dyadic interventions, such as partnership quality, sexual rehabilitation/satisfaction, quality of life (QoL), and psychological well-being. We systematically searched the MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases for randomized (RCT) and nonrandomized controlled trials assessing dyadic psychosocial interventions for couples affected by MS published in peer-reviewed journals up to November 2024. This review included eight of the 2,878 articles identified, involving 4,185 couples affected by MS (60 − 80% females with MS). Various dyadic intervention approaches suggest potential positive effects, particularly in partnership quality, sexual rehabilitation, and QoL, with enhanced communication skills being the key. However, comparability was limited due to methodological shortcomings and heterogeneity in intervention approaches and outcomes. This review underscores the lack of dyadic-focused intervention studies for couples living with MS, highlighting the need for more RCTs with comparable outcomes to assess the effectiveness of such interventions. Couples living with multiple sclerosis (MS) face numerous challenges that can negatively impact their relationship quality.Rehabilitation professionals may be unprepared to address the couple’s dyadic coping strategies which often prioritize relationship benefits over coping with MS itself.Rehabilitation programs should include couple-focused interventions, as a dyadic perspective is crucial for enhancing relationship quality, sexual rehabilitation, and the individual well-being of both partners.Couples affected by MS should be encouraged to resume open dialogue, even on topics where communication had previously broken down. Couples living with multiple sclerosis (MS) face numerous challenges that can negatively impact their relationship quality. Rehabilitation professionals may be unprepared to address the couple’s dyadic coping strategies which often prioritize relationship benefits over coping with MS itself. Rehabilitation programs should include couple-focused interventions, as a dyadic perspective is crucial for enhancing relationship quality, sexual rehabilitation, and the individual well-being of both partners. Couples affected by MS should be encouraged to resume open dialogue, even on topics where communication had previously broken down.