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Mindfulness based stress reduction in people with Parkinson's disease and their care partners.

Deepal Shah-Zamora, Allison M Allen, Lacy Rardin, Margaret Ivancic, Katie Durham, Patrick Hickey, Jeffrey W. Cooney, B. Scott, S. Mantri

Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice March 31, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2021.101377 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational cohort Qualitative Peer reviewed
Population People with Parkinson's disease and their care partners
Intervention Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR)
Duration 9-week course, with follow-up at 3 months
Topics Meditation
Key findings MBSR improved health-related quality of life in people with Parkinson's disease and increased mindful awareness in care partners, but did not reduce caregiver burden.

Abstract

Background: Parkinson's Disease (PD) leads to poor quality of life and caregiver burden. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) may improve these symptoms. We assessed the impact of a 9-week MBSR course on people with PD (PwP) and their care partners (CPs).

Methods: Participants completed questionnaires at screening, at the end of the course, and at 3-month follow-up: Parkinson's Disease Quality-39 (PDQ-39, PD only), Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI, CP only) and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS, both). The primary outcome measure was change in PDQ-39 (for PwP) or ZBI (for CP). Patient-reported scales were analyzed quantitatively; qualitative data on perceived effectiveness was collected.

Results: 53.8% PwP and 100% CPs completed the course. Among PwP, there was a significant reduction in MAAS(p < 0.001) and in PDQ-39 (p = 0.008). CPs experienced an increase in MAAS (p = 0.02) but no change in ZBI (p = 0.239). Qualitatively, both PwP and CPs expressed satisfaction with the course.

Discussion: MBSR improves mindful awareness in CPs and improves health-related quality of life in PwP.