The Relationship Between Parkinson's Disease Symptoms and Caregiver Quality of Life

Objective: Caregivers for individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) can experience high burden, which underlies the importance of examining the needs of caregivers to be able to support them in the caregiving role. The current study aims to assess the relationships among PD symptoms and four measures of caregiver quality of life (QOL; i.e., personal and social activities, anxiety and depression, self-care, and strain). Method: Data from 181 caregiver/care recipient dyads (N = 362) were collected at a multidisciplinary PD clinic in a public, academic medical center in the southeastern United States at the time of the care recipient's first neuropsychological evaluation. Results: All PD symptoms were positively correlated with each other, as were all forms of caregiver QOL, and all PD symptoms were associated with each measure of caregiver QOL. A series of regressions suggested that demographics and PD symptoms predicted all four types of caregiver QOL, explaining 33% of the variance in caregiver personal and social activities, 24% in anxiety and depression, 28% in self-care, and 36% in strain. Female caregivers and those who provided care to male care recipients generally had worse QOL. Greater PD-related symptoms including difficulties with mobility, decreased emotional well-being, and greater nonmotor functioning impairment were unique predictors of reduced caregiver QOL. Conclusions: PD symptoms are robustly related to caregiver QOL, with mobility and nonmotor symptoms as the primary drivers of this relationship. Interventions for PD caregivers should include strategies for managing mobility and nonmotor symptoms, as well as their QOL effects on caregivers. Impact and Implications Research on the relationship between Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms and caregiver quality of life (QOL) has been sparse. In this study, greater difficulties for individuals with PD with mobility, decreased emotional well-being, and worse nonmotor functioning were unique predictors of reduced caregiver QOL. These results suggest a tentative rubric for identifying caregivers who may need additional support. They also underscore the need for integrated behavioral health services for caregivers and individuals with PD to assist with management of PD symptoms and their effects on caregiver QOL.