Contributory Factors to Caregiver Burden in Parkinson Disease

Daniel Grün*, Vannina Pieri, Michel Vaillant, Nico J. Diederich

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

    80 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Background In Parkinson disease (PD), patients often require burdensome assistance, delivered by informal caregivers (eg, spouse). Design Prospective questionnaire and clinical-based investigation. Objectives To investigate both patient- and caregiver-derived factors contributing to caregiver burden (CB). Methods We assessed, in 59 patient-caregiver pairs, various motor, nonmotor, and cognitive symptoms as well as quality of life by standardized tests and questionnaires. Repercussions on the caregiver were evaluated by Zarit Burden Interview, Health-related Quality of Life (HrQoL), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Transcultural comparison was ensured by validation of the tests in the 3 used languages. Results Sleep problems and autonomic dysfunction of the patient strongly impact CB (r = −0.414 to −0.335, P < .01) and HrQoL of the caregiver (r = −0.335 to −0.314, P < .05). Higher CB is less strongly linked with patient's motor impairment (P < .05). Large time investment, including nocturnal care in 41% of the caregivers, strongly influences CB (P < .001). The mood, but not the cognitive status, of the caregiver is directly linked to CB and HrQoL of the caregiver (P < .01). Conclusion In PD, the CB is primarily dependent on patients' nonmotor symptoms. Patient care requires considerable time investment and can trigger depression in the caregiver.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)626-632
    Number of pages7
    JournalJournal of the American Medical Directors Association
    Volume17
    Issue number7
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2016

    Keywords

    • Parkinson disease
    • caregiver burden
    • motor symptoms
    • nonmotor symptoms
    • sleep

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