In Parkinson Patients, Demoralization Is Common

Individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) commonly experience demoralization and related difficulties, often as a result of motor dysfunction, according to new research.

“In demoralization, there is a prominent inability to cope, making it somewhat distinct from depression,” researchers noted in a recent study. “Treatment approaches are also different, making it important to identify demoralization in patients with PD.”
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During their study, the researchers evaluated 94 participants with PD and 86 control participants who were recruited from outpatient movement disorder clinics and surrounding communities.

The Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research, Demoralization questionnaire, and/or Kissane Demoralization Scale scores were used to measure demoralization, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess depression.

In addition, the odds of having demoralization overall and within each cohort were examined via forward stepwise logistic regression.

Results showed that 18.1% of participants with PD and 8.1% of controls experienced demoralization.

It is important to note that, although demoralization was significantly associated with depression, some participants had one and not the other, the researchers said. A total of 7 of 19 participants with PD who had depression did not have demoralization, and 5 of 17 participants with PD who had demoralization did not have depression.

Overall, factors including the presence of PD (odds ratio [OR] 2.60), younger age, and not being married were associated with demoralization. In the PD cohort specifically, younger age and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, part III score (per score 1) were associated with demoralization (OR 1.06).

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Koo BB, Chow CA, Shah DR, et al. Demoralization in Parkinson disease [Published online April 4, 2018]. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000005425.