988368

Objectives: Leisure is a domain of life that is very important, particularly for people with neurological disorders. However, due to social and cultural differences, leisure activities have not been studied extensively. The aim of this study is to determine the different factors influencing leisure activities among people afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) within the framework of Iranian culture.
Methods: We used two independent qualitative studies: 1) interviews conducted with 11 professional that related to these patients and 2) open-ended questionnaires that were completed by 49 patients with MS. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed on the data obtained. 
Results: Six factors were extracted from the analyses on each of the two studies: social, individual, physical, art-cultural, spiritual/religious and educational.
Discussion: Our results suggest that the leisure activities of the MS patients are influenced by six factors. We suggest that studies concerning leisure activities of Iranian MS patients should consider these factors.