Objective: To investigate spiritual well-being in patients with PD compared with healthy controls and to examine its relationship with motor symptoms, non-motor burden, and health-related quality of life.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by both motor and non-motor symptoms that substantially affect quality of life. Increasing attention has been given to spiritual well-being as a potential factor influencing coping, psychological health, and overall well-being in chronic neurological diseases. However, the clinical relevance of spirituality in PD remains insufficiently explored.

To investigate spiritual well-being in patients with PD compared with healthy controls and to examine its relationship with motor symptoms, non-motor burden, and health-related quality of life.

Method: In this cross-sectional study, 49 patients with PD (early stage n=34, advanced stage n=15) and 20 healthy controls were enrolled. Spiritual well-being was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Spiritual Well-Being scale (FACIT-Sp-12) and the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS). Clinical assessments included motor severity (UPDRS-III), non-motor symptoms (NMSS-K), health-related quality of life (PDQ-39), depression (BDI), anxiety (BAI), cognition (MoCA-K), sleep (K-PDSS), and fatigue (PFS). Group comparisons and correlation analyses were performed to evaluate associations between spiritual well-being and clinical variables.

Results: Spiritual well-being measured by FACIT-Sp-12 differed significantly between groups, with higher scores in early PD compared with advanced PD and controls (p<0.05). FACIT-Sp-12 scores showed significant inverse correlations with motor impairment, non-motor symptom burden, poorer quality of life, depression, anxiety, and fatigue (all p<0.05). Domain-specific analyses indicated that mood/apathy, sleep–fatigue, and cognitive symptoms were particularly associated with spiritual well-being. In contrast, SWBS scores showed weaker or inconsistent associations with clinical variables.

Conclusion: Spiritual well-being is closely associated with disease burden and quality of life in PD, particularly with non-motor symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of considering spiritual well-being as part of comprehensive patient-centered care in Parkinson’s disease.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/spiritual-well-being-and-clinical-burden-in-parkinsons-disease-a-case-control-study/