Mental health, social support help shape Parkinson’s life quality

Demographics, social experiences, mental health, and sexual well-being are among factors playing significant roles in shaping health-related quality of life for people with  Parkinson’s disease, a study from Ethiopia showed.

“The age of participants, sex, coping [strategies], social support, [Parkinson’s]-related stigma, depression, sexual dysfunction and health satisfaction were independent predictors of [health-related quality of life],” the researchers wrote.

The scientists said their finding “underscores the need for holistic assessment and care that integrates psychosocial and sexual health support alongside routine care” in Parkinson’s.

An early-access version of the study, “Sexual, mental, and multidimensional determinants of health-related quality of life in Parkinson’s disease using the revised Wilson and Cleary model,” was published in Scientific Reports.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder that can affect a person’s quality of life in profound ways. The disease is defined by motor symptoms like slowness and balance problems, but people with Parkinson’s also commonly experience nonmotor symptoms, which can range from mental health problems to digestive upset to sexual dysfunction.

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Interviews, standardized measures provide insight

The scientists sought to tease out exactly how much each of these factors affects quality of life for people with Parkinson’s. They conducted interviews with 284 people with Parkinson’s at centers in Ethiopia. The patients provided clinical and demographic information and answered standard questionnaires about their experiences with mental health, sexual wellness, and social interactions. Participants also completed a standardized assessment measuring health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

With all these data in hand, the researchers constructed statistical models to determine the extent to which various factors affect HRQoL. The model explained 68.5% of the variance in HRQoL, and the researchers examined how much each factor contributed to the final model.

Results showed that individual demographic and personal characteristics, such as age, gender, and coping strategies, play key roles in determining HRQoL. The data suggested that HRQoL was generally worse in older patients and that men usually reported worse HRQoL than women. Collectively, individual characteristics accounted for 29.6% of the variance in HRQoL.

Interpersonal characteristics also had significant effects on HRQoL. Patients with greater social support generally reported better HRQoL, whereas those who experienced greater disease-related stigma tended to have poorer HRQoL. Interpersonal factors collectively explained 25.2% of the variance in HRQoL.

Mental health symptoms and sexual dysfunction also significantly contributed to HRQoL, explaining 7.1% and 1.5% of variance, respectively. Overall health satisfaction explained another 3.1% of variance. Biological measures such as Parkinson’s treatment and disease stage explained only 2% of the variance in HRQoL.

The researchers stressed that the study was limited to patients in one region of the world and that the participants were mostly men with early-stage disease, so the findings may not be generalizable. Nonetheless, they said, the results emphasize that clinical factors are only a small part of what determines quality of life for people with Parkinson’s.

The researchers concluded that their findings “emphasize a shift toward a comprehensive biopsychosocial approach to improve HRQoL of people with” Parkinson’s.