Association of Stress-Health Factors among Parkinson's Disease Patient/Caregiving-Partner Dyads

Abstract

Objective: Few studies have explored the shared effects of Parkinson's disease (PD) within patient/caregiver dyads. To fill this gap, we compared stress-health outcomes of patients with those of caregiving-partners, examined individual stress-health associations, and explored stress-health associations within dyads.

Method: A total of 18 PD patient/caregiving-partner dyads (N = 36) reported on disease-specific distress, anxiety, quality of life (QOL), and provided saliva samples for cortisol assessment. This cross-sectional, secondary analysis of a prospective pilot study used Actor-Partner Interdependence Models to test aims.

Results: Patients reported greater anxiety, poorer QOL, and demonstrated flatter cortisol slopes and higher mean bedtime cortisol compared to caregiving-partners. Both patients and caregiving-partners with greater anxiety had elevated bedtime cortisol and poorer QOL. Greater disease-specific distress in an individual was associated with higher diurnal mean cortisol in their partner.

Conclusions: Findings highlight the potential for psychosocial interventions at the dyadic level to reduce shared burden and promote coping among PD patient/caregiving-partner dyads.

Keywords: Anxiety; Caregiver issues; Parkinson’s disease; Quality of life.