The Influence of Self-Perception on Manipulative Dexterity in Adults with Multiple Sclerosis.
Rosa M Martínez-Piédrola, Cristina García-Bravo, Elisabet Huertas-Hoyas and 4 others
PMID 34483781WHAT IT FOUND
Self-perception of dexterity predicted objective test scores, but self-reported ability did not correlate with actual performance.
ABILHAND scores aligned with quality of life, not the pegboard tests. Assess how patients feel about their hands and their quality of life, not just their speed.
Key findings
01The Nine Hole Peg Test, Box and Block Test and Purdue Pegboard Test showed no significant correlation with the ABILHAND self-perception questionnaire.
02ABILHAND scores correlated significantly with most quality of life measures, indicating self-perceived capacity tracks wellbeing rather than objective dexterity.
03In regression analysis, the perception scales predicted up to 60% of the variance in Purdue Pegboard scores and 46% of dominant hand Nine Hole Peg Test scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 30 participants completed the study, which the authors state limits generalisability. This is a single cross-sectional snapshot, so the regression analysis cannot show that poor self-perception causes dexterity loss over time. Participants with moderate to severe disability (EDSS above 6) and those with depressive symptoms (BDI above 14) were excluded, so findings do not apply to those groups. The authors state that subjective tests provide a better understanding of global dexterity, but this is a claim about their own work rather than a measured result.
Declared interests
The paper does not report any funding source or conflict of interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the regression result as proof that negative self-perception causes dexterity to decline. The study measured everyone once, so it cannot show that perception changes lead to later loss of skill. The authors' suggestion that disuse explains this link is a hypothesis, not a finding.