Perceived stress, resilience, and health‐related quality of life among Parkinson's disease caregivers in Mexico (original) (raw)

2019, Health & Social Care in the Community

Parkinson's disease is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a complex of physical symptoms, such as slow and rigid motoric movements, loss of balance, cognitive impairment, and psychological distress (Wong, Gilmour, & Ramage-Morin, 2014). Over time, those who develop the disease lose aspects of their independence and the ability to care for themselves, often requiring an informal caregiver (Leiknes, Lien, & Severinsson, 2015). Informal caregivers in Western countries provide extensive care for individuals with Parkinson's disease during early stages of the disease but may decide to relinquish care when the disease progresses to later stages (Abendroth, Lutz, & Young, 2012). In non-Western and developing countries, informal caregivers are often the primary caregivers throughout disease progression due to resource constraints and/or cultural aversions to institutionalization of family members (Mahoney, Cloutterbuck, Neary, & Zhan, 2005; Mausbach et al., 2004). For example, in Mexico, family caregiving is typically a highly valued cultural role and one offered through the trajectory of a patient's illness course (Vroman & Morency, 2011). Caregiving for someone with Parkinson's disease is associated with a range of physical and psychological stressors (Martínez-Martín et al.,