Prevalence and Associated Factors of Depressive Disorder in Caregivers of Individuals With Parkinson Disease

Abstract

Objective: Parkinson disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease. Caring for an individual with PD can have a variety of negative physical and psychological effects on caregivers which may challenge their ability to continue in their caretaking role. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of depressive disorders in caregivers of individuals with PD using standardized instruments. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design with consecutive sampling. Study participants were recruited from the neurological ward or neurological outpatient clinic of a medical center from August 2018 to July 2019. Caregivers of persons with PD were enrolled and assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Brief Fatigue Inventory, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Big Five Inventory-10. Results: Of the 162 caregivers that completed the study, 67.3% (n = 109) were females. The most common psychiatric diagnosis was depressive disorder (11.1%), followed by insomnia disorder (7.4%) and anxiety disorder not otherwise specified (4.3%); 28% of the caregivers had a psychiatric diagnosis. Using logistic regression analysis, it was found that duration of caregiving (odds ratio [OR] = 1.28; 95% CI, 1.05-1.58), severity of anxiety (OR = 1.86; 95% CI, 1.36-2.53), and severity of fatigue (OR = 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01-1.16) were 3 significant associated factors for the development of depression. Conclusion: Depression was the most prevalent psychiatric diagnosis in caregivers of people with PD. Early diagnosis of these caregivers is crucial to the offering of suitable support and treatment and might improve caregivers’ quality of life.

Fatigue and Its Association With Quality of Life Among Carers of Patients Attending Psychiatric Emergency Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Fatigue was positively associated with depression in this study, which is consistent with studies in family caregivers in intensive care units ( 43 ), carers of patients with Parkinson's disease ( 44 ), and palliative care patients ( 45 ). The association between fatigue and depression is bidirectional.…”

A dyadic study of psychological well-being of individuals with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers

“…In a large register-based cohort study, PD patient is associated with a higher risk of death by external causes, including an almost two-fold higher risk of suicide 27 . Furthermore, fatigue, degrees of resilience, and suicidal ideation were all associated with depression among PD patients and their caregivers in prior studies 15 , 22 , 28 , 29 .…”

“…Patients with PD experienced motor disability, drug side effects, and cognitive impairment which might aggravate their mood condition 12 . Nevertheless, caregivers still attend PD patients through the disease process, despite having a high depression morbidity that might interfere with their care ability and quality of life 15 . Pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy are currently first-line treatments for depression in patients with PD 36 .…”

“…Previous studies revealed that the rate of depression of caregivers of PD patients ranged from 14 to 35% 13 , 14 . Compared to studies used self-rated questionnaires to detect depression, the study used a structured clinical interview to diagnose the caregivers of PD patients showed a lower rate of depression (11.1%) among caregivers 15 .…”

“…The prevalence of suicidal ideation in PD patients ranged from 10.2% ~ 14.4% 20 , 21 . Furthermore, few studies that have detected fatigue 15 , 24 , resilience 25 , 26 , and suicidal ideation 27 among caregivers of PD patients. One study demonstrated that caregivers of PD patients experienced daily physical health problems including: muscle strain, headaches, and fatigue (17%) 24 .…”