Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Predictors of caregiver burden in partners of patients with Parkinson’s disease

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:
Neurological Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Aim of this study was to determine the predictors of caregiver burden among spouse caregivers of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Forty consecutive PD patients and their spouse caregivers were included. Patients were assessed using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), the Hoehn and Yahr scale (HY), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Stress and depressive symptoms among caregivers were evaluated using the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) scale and the GDS. Only PD severity (HY) and mental symptoms (NPI) were significantly associated to caregiver distress. A major attention must be given to the early identification of factors generating stress in caregivers in order to improve caregiver quality of life and patient’s care.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. O’Reilly F, Finnan F, Allwright S et al (1996) The effects of caring for a spouse with Parkinson’s disease on social, psychological and physical well being. Br J Gen Prac 46:507–512

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Miller E, Berrios GE, Politynska BE (1996) Caring for someone with Parkinson’s disease: factors that contribute to distress. Int J Ger Psychiatry 11:263–268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Aguglia E, Onor ML, Trevisiol M et al (2004) Stress in the caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients: an experimental investigation in Italy. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen 19:248–252

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Novak M, Guest CI (1989) Application of a multi-dimensional care-giver burden inventory. Gerontologist 29:798–803

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Carter JH, Stewart BJ, Archbold PG et al (1998) Living with a person who has Parkinson’s disease: the spouse’s perspective by stage of disease. Mov Disord 13:20–28

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Aarsland D, Larsen JP, Karlsen K et al (1999) Mental symptoms in parkinson’s disease are important contributors to caregiver distress. Int J Geriat Psychiatry 14:866–874

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Meara J, Mitchelmore E, Hobson P (1999) Use of GDS-15 geriatric depression scale as a screening instrument for depressive symptomatology in patients with Parkinson disease and their carers in the community. Age Ageing 28:35–38

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Happe S, Berger K (2002) The association between caregiver burden and sleep disturbances in partners of patients with Parkinson’s disease. Age Ageing 31:349–354

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Thommessen B, Aarsland D, Braekhus A et al (2002) The psychosocial burden on spouses of the elderly with stroke, dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 17:78–84

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Martinez-Martin P, Forjaz MJ, Frades-Payo B et al (2007) Caregiver burden in Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord 22:924–931

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Carter JH, Stewart BJ, Lyons KS et al (2008) Do motor and nonmotor symptoms in PD patients predict caregiver strain and depression? Mov Disord 23:1211–1216

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Schrag A, Hovris A, Morley D et al (2006) Caregiver-burden in parkinson’s disease is closely associated with psychiatric symptoms, falls and disability. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 12:35–41

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Aarsland D, Brønnick K, Ehrt U et al (2007) Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease and dementia: frequency, profile and associated care giver stress. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 78:36–42

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Pal PK, Thennarasu K, Fleming J et al (2004) Nocturnal sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction in patients with Parkinson’s disease and in their caregivers. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 10:157–168

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Edwards NE, Scheetz PS (2002) Predictors of burden for caregivers of patients with Parkinson’s disease. J Neurosci Nurs 34:184–190

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Fernandez HH, Tabamo REJ, David RR et al (2001) Predictors of depressive symptoms among spouse caregivers in Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord 16:1123–1125

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Martínez-Martín P, Benito-León AlonsoF et al (2005) Quality of life of caregivers in Parkinson’s disease. Qual Life Res 14:463–472

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Cifu DX, Carne W, Brown R et al (2006) Caregiver distress in Parkinsonism. J Rehabil Res Dev 43:499–508

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Smith MC, Ellgring H, Oertel WH (1997) Sleep disturbances in Parkinson’s disease patients and spouses. J Am Geriatr Soc 45:194–199

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Caap-Ahlgren M, Dehlin O (2002) Factors of importance to the caregiver burden experienced by family caregivers of Parkinson’s disease patients. Aging Clin Exp Res 14:371–377

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Marvardi M, Mattioli P, Spazzafumo L et al (2005) Study Group on Brain Aging; Italian Society of gerontology and Geriatrics the Caregiver Burden Inventory in evaluating the burden of caregivers of elderly demented patients: results from a multicenter study. Aging Clin Exp Res 17:46–53

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Schulz R, Beach SR (1999) Caregiving as a risk factor for mortality: the Caregiver Health Effects Study. JAMA 282:2215–2219

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Neuroscienze Cliniche, Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Marco D’Amelio, Valeria Terruso, Barbara Palmeri, Norma Di Benedetto, Giorgia Famoso, Paolo Cottone, Paolo Aridon, Paolo Ragonese & Giovanni Savettieri

  2. Dipartimento Universitario di Neuroscienze Cliniche, Università di Palermo, Via Gaetano La Loggia 1, 90129, Palermo, Italy

    Giovanni Savettieri

Authors
  1. Marco D’Amelio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Valeria Terruso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Barbara Palmeri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Norma Di Benedetto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Giorgia Famoso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Paolo Cottone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Paolo Aridon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Paolo Ragonese
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Giovanni Savettieri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giovanni Savettieri.

Additional information

M. D’Amelio and V. Terruso equally contributed to the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

D’Amelio, M., Terruso, V., Palmeri, B. et al. Predictors of caregiver burden in partners of patients with Parkinson’s disease. Neurol Sci 30, 171–174 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0024-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0024-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation