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North American Relationship Matters
Collaborative Project
Do you ever wonder if your relationship is as satisfying as it could be? Are you interested in helping others increase their relationship satisfaction?
If you are in a relationship and you or your partner have MS, we would like invite you to complete a 5-minute survey about you and your relationship now and again in 3 months. As a thank you for your support and participation, you will receive a workbook that is chock full of relationship enrichment materials after completing the first survey. After completing the second survey in 3 months, you will receive the book “Multiple Sclerosis: 300 Tips for Making Life Easier” by Shelley Peterman Schwarz.
Some frequently asked questions for more information:
- Why am I being invited to participate?
- Are there any benefits to me if I fill out this survey?
- Why is this being done?
- What procedures will be involved in this process?
- Will the results be shared with me?
- What type of survey is this?
- What are the risks of taking the survey?
Why am I being invited to participate?
The MS Society of Canada and the National MS Society in the U.S. often collaborate on projects and share information and programs. The information collected from this survey is part of Relationship Matters: A Program for Couples Living with MS offered in the U.S. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program and possibly to extend its reach to Canada, the organization has been asked to conduct a survey. We invite you to take part in it. To be eligible to participate in the survey you need to live in Canada and be in a committed relationship where either you or your partner has MS.
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Are there any benefits to me if I fill out this survey?
This survey may help identify areas in your relationship that you would like to improve upon. It can also be a useful tool for identifying when additional help may be needed. Upon completing the original and the 3-month follow-up assessment, you will have MS related relationship materials emailed and mailed to you that you may find helpful in your relationship with your partner. Your involvement will also help identify issues of importance to couples that may not be currently addressed.
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Why is this survey being conducted?
This is being done to better understand some of the challenges that couples living with MS face. Your participation in the survey could lead to new programs and services for couples living with MS. Additionally, this information may help you and your partner identify skills that you want to develop and grow. The data collected as part of this survey will also be used as a comparison group for the couples enrichment program in the U.S. The data will be used to gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of couples programs with the hope of future dissemination in Canada.
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What procedures will be involved in this process?
You will be invited to complete the assessment at initial contact and again in 3 months. The survey will be delivered via an online website with reminder emails sent to your preferred email address. When the MS Navigator receives the confidential online answer sheet, the answer sheet will be scored. You may obtain your survey results upon completion of your 3 month survey (To obtain this information it is necessary for you to request it by email—you will not be automatically sent the results). The MS Navigator will interpret your responses and be available to discuss any issues that come up as a result of completing the assessment.
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Will the results be shared with me?
If you would like to discuss your results with an MS Navigator, you will have the opportunity to express that upon completion of your 3 month survey.
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What type of survey is this?
This survey is the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale which is a psychological assessment form that was originally developed by Graham B. Spanier, Ph.D. It was revised and shortened by Dean M. Busby, Ph.D, D. Russell Crane, Ph.D. and Jeffry H. Larson, Ph.D. The questionnaire measures perceptions of a relationship by questioning each partner involved. The original DAS has been used extensively in research, with over 1,000 individual studies being cited. For our purposes, it will be used simply as a way to measure your relationship satisfaction in a period of 3 months. We will also retain the raw data in the form of aggregate scores for future research.
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What are the risks of taking the survey?
The survey consists of very personal questions pertaining to your level of agreement on a variety of topics. These questions may be uncomfortable for some, so if at any time you choose to stop completing the form, you may do so without any penalty. Your participation is strictly voluntary and in no way affects your involvement with the MS Society of Canada.
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If you have any problems or questions about the survey please contact the Relationship Matters Program Manager, Lara Rezzarday at couplesprogram@nmss.org.
This project is a collaborative effort between the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
The MS Society of Canada collects the personal information requested in this survey for a study that will be taking place in the U.S. By completing this survey, you hereby consent to the collection and use by the MS Society of your personal information in accordance with the MS Society privacy policy. If you have any questions about your personal information, please contact our privacy officer, Deanna Groetzinger, National Vice-President, Government Relations & Policy, 416 922-6065. A copy of our privacy policy may be obtained at any MS Society office by calling 1-800-268-7582 or on our website.
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