The impact of multiple gender dimensions on health-related quality of life in persons with Parkinson’s disease: an exploratory study

Abstract

Abstract Background There is a growing recognition that sex characteristics and gender-related aspects can have a substantial impact on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Gender is a multidimensional construct, including dynamic social norms and relations that influence health and impact quality of life. Even when gender is investigated in the field of PD, it is frequently conceptualized as gender identity while other dimensions, such as roles or relations, are generally ignored. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of several gender dimensions on HRQoL among people with PD. Methods We performed a survey-based, cross-sectional study in the Netherlands to explore the impact of several gender dimensions, namely; gender identity, gender roles and gender relations on HRQoL (PDQ-39) of people with PD. Results In our study population (N = 307), including 127 (41%) women, we did not observe an association between gender identity and overall HRQoL. In contrast, an androgynous gender role and higher engagement in household tasks were associated with better overall HRQoL among people with PD. Conclusions This study offers the first detailed description of the impact of different gender dimensions on the HRQoL of people with PD and highlights the need for more precise gender-measures to inform actionable gender-sensitive health interventions for people with PD.