Patterns of psychological problems in Parkinson's disease.
OBJECTIVE
To identify patterns of psychological problems in Parkinson's disease (PD).


METHODS
A sample of 3075 patients was surveyed to determine frequencies of psychological problems and cross-validated cluster analyses were computed to identify patterns of these problems.


RESULTS
An increase of symptoms during arousal was reported by 68%, sleep disturbances by 32% of the sample, and sexual problems by 57% of men and 22% of women. Less frequently reported were difficulties in communicating (27%), needing help of others (38%), and depressive moods (20%). Four patterns of psychological problems were identified: general low stress, general high stress, sexual and social problems, and non-social problems.


CONCLUSIONS
The study confirms the clinical observation that PD patients differ not only in degree, but also in structure of psychological stress. Social and non-social stress constitute principal types of stress experienced in PD. This distinction should be taken into account for any approach to support people with PD.
Macht
M
M
Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany. macht@psychologie.uni-wuerzburg.de
Schwarz
R
R
Ellgring
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003147:Communication Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires