PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES OF CAREGIVERS OF INDIVIDUALS SUFFERING FROM PARKINSON’S DISEASE, AND THEIR DECLARED FEELING OF BURDEN

Abstract

The subject literature identifies many predictors of a feeling of burden, yet it often ignores aspects of the psychological and social functioning of caregivers, i.e., resources for efficiently coping with a difficult situation. This study aimed to verify the predictors of a feeling of burden experienced by the caregivers of individuals suffering from Parkinson’s disease, taking into account the cognitive functioning of the patients as well as the psychological resources and social competences of the caregivers themselves. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 20 individuals suffering from Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers. It included a neuropsychiatric examination of the patients, with a special focus on executive functions, as well as an assessment of the psychological and social resources of their caregivers using standard psychometric methods. Self esteem was measured using the SES scale and sense of coherence was measured using SOC-29. The statistical analysis included correlation analysis and multiple hierarchical regression. The duration of the disease as well as cognitive impairments, especially executive dysfunction, are significant predictors of a feeling of burden. A high sense of coherence is associated with a positive assessment of one’s own resources in the context of coping with a difficult situation. The feeling of burden experienced by caregivers of individuals suffering from neurodegenerative disorders is a complex phenomenon, composed of many factors. The predictors discusse in this study point to various individual differences in the psychological resources possessed by caregivers.