Objective: The present study tested the extent of moderating effects of patient-perceived social support on the association between motor and nonmotor symptoms and Health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Background: Neurodegenerative diseases, such as idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD), create permanent changes in patients’ life courses. To ameliorate the chronic progressive condition of the disease, patients with PD may seek social support figures. Social support is important for chronic progressive disease adjustment and coping, and higher levels of social support have been linked to recovery and survival in previous clinical studies of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, and cardiac surgery.

Method: Patients who met the criteria of the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) Brain Bank and had been diagnosed after 1 month and within 3 years were enrolled. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) was employed to determine the social support level. The overall severity of disease was evaluated using Hoehn and Yahr (H-Y) staging and the motor part of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). The nonmotor symptoms questionnaire (NMSQ) was employed to evaluate the nonmotor symptom level. The perceived HRQoL level was investigated using the short-form of the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8).

Results: We enrolled 126 patients with IPD in our movement disorder center. Correlation analysis indicated that PDQ-8 was positively associated with total NMSQ score (Spearman’s correlation coefficient rs = 0.727, p < 0.00). MSPSS weakened the relationship of nonmotor burdens to patient-perceived HRQoL assessed by PDQ-8 (p < 0.05), but did not moderate the relationship of UPDRS motor scores to PDQ-8 outcomes.

Conclusion: The present study examined a range of categories of differential social support in individuals who were recently diagnosed with PD in Korea. We explored the association between social support and motor/nonmotor symptoms burdens on HRQoL. Study findings showed that patients with PD can benefit from nonmotor symptom control through a range of social resources. Such moderating effects should be taken into account when studying nonmotor symptoms and HRQoL in PD.

« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2021

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/social-support-moderates-the-burden-of-nonmotor-but-not-motor-symptoms-among-patients-with-parkinsons-disease/