Correlates of Burden Among Caregivers of Latinos Living With Parkinson's Disease.

Abstract

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) often leads to significant motor and nonmotor impairments, including immobility, dementia, and depression. These challenges can require the involvement of caregivers to manage the needs of individuals with PD. However, the demands placed on caregivers can lead to neglect of their own well-being, resulting in psychological and physical strain, also known as caregiver burden. Therefore, the present study explores the experiences of caregivers of Latinos with PD and examines the association between caregiver burden, unmet emotional needs, coping strategies, and caregiver-perceived motor experiences of daily living in the individual living with PD.

Methods: Caregivers (N = 56) of Latinos living with PD completed validated measures, including the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) to measure caregiver burden, the Movement Disorder Society Unified PD Rating Scale Part II (MDS-UPDRS Part II) to measure caregiver-perceived motor experiences of daily living, the Brief Coping Orientation to Problem Experienced (Brief-COPE) to assess caregiver's coping strategies, and the Support Person's Unmet Needs Survey (SPUNS) short form to assess unmet caregiver needs. Analyses are cross-sectional and correlational.

Results: Results found that greater caregiver burden was most strongly associated with more unmet emotional needs, followed by greater utilization of problem-focused coping strategies and greater caregiver-perceived functional motor impact. Caregiver burden was not correlated with care recipient's age.

Conclusion: Findings suggest that caregivers of Latinos living with PD commonly experience mild-to-moderate amounts of caregiver burden, which is associated with a combination of caregiver-centric (e.g., coping strategies and unmet needs) and patient-centric (e.g., caregiver-perceived motor experiences of daily living) variables.