Influence of disease-related knowledge and personality traits on parkinson’s patient empowerment

Abstract

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder, has an impact on both the physical and mental functions of persons with Parkinson’s (PwP), who tend to lose their sense of empowerment, cognitive state of perceived competence and perceived control. A diminished sense of empowerment is a result of being dependent and unable to have control over their own lives and health.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the influence of disease-related knowledge and personality traits on empowerment of PwP.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey by a purposive sample of 128 PwP. Participants were interviewed with questionnaires 1) Parkinson’s patient empowerment, 2) Health Locus of Control, 3) Self-esteem, and 4) Parkinson’s disease related-knowledge.

Results: Participants had mean age and disease duration of 58.3±8.9 years, and 8.1 ± 4.8 years, respectively. Parkinson’s patient empowerment showed a significant positive relationship between variables such as self-esteem (r =0.48, p < 0.001), internal health locus of control (IHLC) (r =0.50, p < 0.001), external locus of control by powerful others (PHLC) (r = 0.32, p < 0.001) and self-care knowledge (r =0.16, p = 0.039). There was a negative relationship between HY staging (r = -0.18, p = 0.023) and Parkinson’s patient empowerment. A significant regression equation was found (F (8, 119) = 10.68, p <0.001), with an adjusted R² =0.38. The multiple regression results revealed that self-esteem (β = 0.33, p < 0.001), IHLC (β = 0.29, p = 0.001), PHLC (β = 0.21, p = 0.014) and self-care knowledge (β = 0.18, p = 0.023) were significant influencing factors on Parkinson’s patient empowerment.

Conclusions:  Self-care knowledge, self-esteem, IHLC and PHLC were four significant influential factors on Parkinson’s patient empowerment. Three proposed non-pharmacological treatment strategies to increase Parkinson’s patient empowerment were 1) Education interventions to focus on self-care knowledge 2) Cognitive interventions to enhance patients’ feelings of self-worth and the beliefs of patients’ health influenced by their own behaviors and 3) Strengthening patient-doctor relationship to enhance patients’ feelings of trust and to cooperate with doctors.