The Impact of Treatment Modality and Psychosocial Factors on Informal Caregivers of People with Parkinson Disease
Abstract
Parkinson disease (PD) is a degenerative neurological disorder that impacts a great number of individuals in the United States and often results in significant changes to speech and voice, as well as increased reliance on informal caregivers. Relevant literature has shown that caring for a person with PD can have a negative impact on caregivers but has not explored the relationship between perceived impact of life events or relationship satisfaction and caregiver quality of life (CGQOL), or the impact that therapy delivery paradigm can have on these psychosocial factors and on caregivers of people with PD. The current study examined the psychosocial factors associated with caring for someone who has PD and the effect of therapy delivery paradigm on these factors through regression and mediation analyses. Results indicated that caregiver burden, caregiver depression, and perceived impact of life events (PILES), were significantly associated with CGQOL post-treatment, but quality of life pre-treatment and treatment modality were not significant. Although no evidence of mediation was found in this study, change in PILES scores from pre- to post-treatment was significantly associated with caregivers’ ratings of patient selfefficacy for communication post-treatment, while caregiver burden pre-treatment and self-efficacy for people with disabilities pre-treatment were significantly associated with caregivers’ rating of self-efficacy for people with disabilities post-treatment. Collectively, results from this study suggest that focusing on the psychosocial impact of caregiving is an integral part of the treatment process for any provider working with people with PD. Ensuring that caregivers receive the support and education needed to effectively manage the psychosocial factors associated with caregiving will lead to higher quality of care for the patient, as well as better patient outcomes in therapy, and in their daily lives.
Degree
M.Sc.
Advisors
Huber, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Clinical psychology|Medicine|Mental health|Neurosciences|Psychology
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