Consequences of COVID-19 Lockdown on Self and Perceived Adaptive Functioning in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease and Caregiver Burden: A Cross-Sectional Study

AbstractBackground:People across the world experienced abrupt changes in their daily lives because of the coronavirus disease 2019 lockdown, with a focus on social distancing and self-isolation. Furthermore, the lockdown restricted access to healthcare and physical exercise, potentially leading to the worsening of motor and nonmotor symptoms in vulnerable populations such as persons with Parkinson’s (PwP). Consequently, there was a greater need to evaluate how functional capacity of PwP affected their quality of life and how that impact affected the caregiver’s burden throughout the course of the disease.Methods:The Parkinson’s Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (PDQ-8) was used to interview 85 PwP and their caregivers over the phone and in person in the outpatient department. Convenience sampling was used, and the caregivers were evaluated using the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL) and Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (PSMS). The Caregiver Strain Index (CSI) was used to assess the strain that caregivers were experiencing. The scores were noted and analyzed.Results:Responses were analyzed using the Spearman rank correlation test. There was a significant positive correlation (0.565) between PDQ-8 and CSI scales, and there was a significant negative correlation between PDQ-8 and PSMS (-0.565), and between PDQ-8 and IADL scores (-0.565).Conclusion:The PwP recruited in this study had minimal symptoms, and their quality of life was only mildly affected. Hence, patients showed better capacity to perform the activites of daily living (ADLs), and subsequently, the strain experienced by their respective caregivers was mild to moderate.