Objective: 1. To determine the prevalence of different fear types in people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) and their perceived impact on daily activities. 2. To examine how age, sex and disease duration influence these fears.

Background: PwP frequently experience emotional challenges, including multiple fear types. Although PwP view these concerns as important to their well-being, they are often under-recognized in clinical care, and evidence describing their rates and impact after diagnosis is limited.

Method: The Survey of Treatment, Exercise, Participation, and Symptoms in PD (STEPS-PD) was administered to 495 PwP in the U.S (mean age: 64.3±12.5 years; 49.7% female; mean disease duration: 5.9±5.4 years). Participants rated how much 7 fear types (i.e., fear of disease progression, fear of negative social evaluation, fear of pain, fear of pain from movement, fear of falling (FOF), fear of incontinence, fear of injury) limited daily activities on a visual analog scale from 0 (not limiting) to 100 (very limiting). Age was grouped into four categories (18–49, 50–59, 60–69, ≥70 years), and disease duration into 1–5, 6–10, 11–15, ≥16 years. Descriptive statistics were calculated for Aim 1. Independent t-tests and one-way ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc tests examined Aim 2.

Results: Over 70% of participants reported that fears limited their daily activities. Fear of disease progression was most prevalent (92.9%) and most limiting to daily activities (mean 57.1±32.8), followed by FOF (85.1%; mean 36.5±31.1). Females reported greater FOF (p=0.005), fear of injury (p=0.002), and fear of incontinence (p=0.004) than males. All fear types differed across age groups (p<0.022). Younger participants (18–49 years) consistently reported greater fear-related limitations compared with older groups, while participants ≥70 years reported the lowest fear of pain and fear of negative social evaluation. Only FOF (p=0.022) and fear of injury (p=0.024) differed across disease duration. Participants with 6–10 years of disease duration reported higher FOF (p= 0.045) and fear of injury (p=0.030) compared to those with 1–5 years.

Conclusion: Fear is highly prevalent among PwP and significantly limits daily activities, particularly fear of disease progression and FOF. These findings underscore the importance of routinely assessing fear across disease trajectory and proactively addressing them within clinical management.

References: 1. McDaniels B, Pontone GM, Keener AM, Subramanian I. A Prescription for Wellness in Early PD: Just What the Doctor Ordered. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2023;36(6):461- 469. doi:10.1177/08919887231164358
2. Kleiner-Fisman G, Gryfe P, Naglie G. A Patient-Based Needs Assessment for Living Well with Parkinson Disease: Implementation via Nominal Group Technique. Park Dis. 2013;2013:974964. doi:10.1155/2013/974964
3. Folkerts AK, Haarmann L, Nielsen J, et al. Fear of Progression is Determined by Anxiety and Self-Efficacy but not Disease-Specific Parameters in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: Preliminary Data from a Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study. J Park Dis. 2022;12(8):2543-2553. doi:10.3233/JPD-223314
4. Gultekin BK, Ozdilek B, Bestepe EE. Social phobia in Parkinson’s disease: Prevalence and risk factors. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2014;10:829-834. doi:10.2147/NDT.S62942
5. Jiménez-Cebrián AM, Becerro-de-Bengoa-Vallejo R, Losa-Iglesias ME, et al. Kinesiophobia Levels in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Case-Control Investigation. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(9):4791. doi:10.3390/ijerph18094791
6. Jonasson SB, Nilsson MH, Lexell J, Carlsson G. Experiences of fear of falling in persons with Parkinson’s disease – a qualitative study. BMC Geriatr. 2018;18:44. doi:10.1186/s12877-018-0735-1
7. Landers MR, Jacobson KM, Matsunami NE, McCarl HE, Regis MT, Longhurst JK. A vicious cycle of fear of falling avoidance behavior in Parkinson’s disease: A path analysis. Clin Park Relat Disord. 2021;4:100089. doi:10.1016/j.prdoa.2021.100089

« Back to 2026 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/fear-across-the-disease-course-how-age-sex-and-disease-duration-influence-different-types-of-fear-in-parkinsons-disease/