Objective: To explore motor and non-motor symptoms (NMS) influence on relationship quality (mutuality) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) when one in the dyad is having Parkinson’s disease (PD) (1, 2).

Background: Mutuality (MS) has been suggested to act as a protective factor in family care situations (3). To date, MS and its association with motor, NMS and patients’ HRQoL has not been fully investigated.

Method: Fifty-one dyads completed validated scales measuring patients’ and partners’ MS, motor signs (UPDRS III), NMS (NMSQuest), impaired cognition (IQCODE), dependency in activities of daily life (ADL) and HRQoL (PDQ8). All self-rated questionnaires were filled out individually and separately by the participants. Structural equation model with manifest variables were applied to explore if MS scale scores mediated the effect of UPDRS III, NMSQuest, IQCODE and dependency in ADL on PDQ8.

Results: The dyads had been cohabiting, on average, for 38.4, (SD=14.6) years. Mean age of patients and partners was 70.9(SD=8.5) and 70.7(SD=9.3) years, respectively. The duration of PD was 8.4(SD=6.5) years and Hoehn & Yahr scores was 2(IQR=1). Of the patients 35/51 (68.6%) needed some form of help from their partners in daily activities. The result suggests that increasing severity of motor and NMS decreased patients’ MS in turn leading to worse HRQoL. Impaired cognition was not significantly associated with patients’ MS or HRQoL. Instead, partners’ MS mediated the effect of impaired cognition which in turn decreased patients’ MS.

Conclusion: When partners’ MS, motor and NMS influence the care situation, patients’ HRQoL deteriorates because patients’ MS suffers. The findings may encourage clinicians to discuss PD symptoms effect on MS and add useful knowledge to a person-centred care.

References: 1. Karlstedt M, Fereshtehnejad SM, Aarsland D, Lokk J. Determinants of Dyadic Relationship and Its Psychosocial Impact in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease and Their Spouses. Parkinsons Disease. 2017;2017:9. 2. Karlstedt M, Fereshtehnejad S-M, Aarsland D, Lökk J. Mediating Effect of Mutuality on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson Disease. 2018;2018:8. 3. Park EO, Schumacher KL. The state of the science of family caregiver-care receiver mutuality: a systematic review. Nursing inquiry. 2014;21(2):140-52.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-influence-of-relationship-quality-on-health-related-quality-of-life-when-coping-with-parkinsons-disease-a-mediation-analysis/