Purpose. To review the correlates of measures of control in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD) and motor neurone disease (MND).

Method. Studies on the relationship between aspects of control and demographic, clinical and psychological factors were collated and reviewed using a narrative synthesis.

Results. Forty-four papers were found which examined different types of both disease and life control. PD studies had not examined self-efficacy or helplessness and only locus of control was used in MND studies. Age, gender and disease duration were not consistently related to control, but greater participant-rated physical impairment was associated with lower perception of some control concepts. The association between symptom control and psychological wellbeing was weak and may be disease dependent. Stronger positive relationships were found between psychosocial wellbeing and both global life control and self-efficacy for disease management and adjustment.

Conclusions. Further research, particularly longitudinal, is needed. Perceptions of control were not completely determined by disease stage/disability. Increased perception of certain types of control was associated with wellbeing and thus interventions should be developed to promote increased control. Although results were dominated by MS, they appear largely applicable to people with PD but more caution is needed for MND.