Prevalence of experienced changes in artistic and everyday creativity in people with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Creativity is the ability to generate novel and meaningful ideas or behaviors, encompassing both artistic originality and personal satisfaction. Emerging evidence suggests that people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) may experience changes in creativity. This study examines the prevalence of creativity changes in PD using cross-sectional data from the Netherlands (PRIME-NL, 2021–2023). Participants (N = 793) self-reported creativity changes, demographics, clinical factors, and pre-diagnosis creative engagement via a self-structured questionnaire. Descriptive analyses revealed that 41% of respondents reported creativity changes: 12% experienced an increase, 22% a decrease, and 7% fluctuations. Ordinal regression analysis showed that longer disease duration and dopamine agonists were associated with increased creativity, while older age and prior creative engagement predicted decreases. A sub-cohort (n = 292) reported creativity changes across seven domains, with changes most frequently observed in everyday creativity, sports/movement, and fine art/design. These findings underscore the need for further research on creativity in PD to inform person-centered treatment strategies.