Objective: To evaluate caregiver burden and stress in Parkinson’s disease and factors that may influence different burden and stress levels.

Background: N/A

Method: A systematic search was conducted for published, peer-reviewed, English-language literature addressing the burden and stress caregivers experience caring for one with Parkinson’s disease.  The databases searched included OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE (OVID), PsycINFO (EBSCO), and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL).  These databases were searched from inception, through October 6, 2023.  The search utilized a combination of keywords and controlled vocabulary for the concepts “Parkinson disease”, “caregiver,” “caregiver stress,” “caregiver burden,” “caregiver burnout,” and “caregiver exhaustion,” which was entered into each database.  A manual search of reference lists in articles was used to discover publications not identified in the database searches.  A total of 2,014 articles were found, after removing duplicates, review articles, posters, non-Parkinson’s disease, or combined disease articles 21 articles remained for review.

Results: Factors such as neuropsychiatric symptoms or being female can influence and contribute to an increase in caregiver burden and stress.

Conclusion: This review has identified specific contributors to caregiver burden and stress, including disease progression, heightened motor impairment, and an escalation in neuropsychiatric symptoms. Notably, a significant proportion of caregivers in the included studies were female, underscoring the importance of considering gender-related factors. Further studies are needed to explore this topic in a broader population, providing more comprehensive insights.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/scoping-review-of-caregiver-burden-in-parkinsons-disease/