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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Mental symptoms in Parkinson's disease are important contributors to caregiver distress | | Author(s) | D Aarsland, J P Larsen, K Karlsen |
| Journal title | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 14, no 10, October 1999 |
| Pages | pp 866-874 |
| Keywords | Parkinson's disease ; Informal care ; Stress ; Depression ; Norway. |
| Annotation | Caregivers of 94 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) living at home, and two control groups (patients with diabetes mellitus and healthy older people) participated in this Norwegian study on the emotional and social distress of caring for a patient with PD. The Relative Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were used. Caregivers, particularly spouses, had more severe depression and a higher proportion reporting tiredness, sadness and less satisfaction with life compared with healthy older subjects. Using linear regression analysis, patient predictors of caregiver distress were depression, functional and cognitive impairment, agitation, aberrant motor behaviour and delusions. Caring for a spouse with PD is associated with emotional and social distress, underlining the importance of also assessing the needs of carers. Mental symptoms of Parkinsonian patients were the most consistent and powerful predictors of caregiver distress, suggesting that identification and treatment of mental symptoms may reduce distress in caregivers of subjects with PD. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-000114218 A |
| Classmark | CR6: P6: QNH: ENR: 76N |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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