Abstract Details

Title Parkinson's Disease and Loneliness: An Initial Exploration

Topic Movement Disorders

Presentation(s) P4 - Poster Session 4 (11:45 AM-12:45 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 3-005

Objective To quantify how social connection relates to Parkinson’s Disease (PD) motor and non-motor features.

Background Loneliness is a negatively experienced discrepancy between desired and actual social connection. Loneliness longitudinally predicts motor, cognitive, and emotional decline in older adults. No study has used motor ratings with validated loneliness scales to study loneliness in a PD population.

Design/Methods

Consenting participants diagnosed with an MDS-revised Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale, Part III (MDS-UPDRS-III) were recruited to complete questionnaires at an academic PD center.

The 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS3) and the 11-item De Jong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale (dJGL) measure loneliness. The Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ8), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), and Cohen Social Network Index (SNI) measure PD-related quality of life (QoL), depression, and social network size. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric Spearman correlations were computed in R (v4.2.3).

Results 119 individuals were mostly male (62.2%), Non-Hispanic White (89.5%), older (Mage = 66.9), with 6.5 years since PD diagnosis. Both ULS3 (M = 4.38, SD = 1.69) and dJGL (M = 12.97, SD = 9.02) show higher loneliness levels (54.7% and 62.4%) than non-PD populations. Both loneliness scales are strongly correlated (r =0.71, p < .001). Loneliness is not significantly related to objective motor severity for either ULS3 (r=-0.06, p = .70) or dJGL (r=-0.06, p = .67). Network size correlates negatively with both loneliness scales (rULS3 = -0.25 p =.02, rdJGL=-0.36, p = <.001). QoL and depression both correlate positively with the loneliness scales (rULS3= 0.44, p <.001, rdJGL=0.35, p <.001, and rULS3=0.53, p < .001, rdJGL=0.50, p <.001).

Conclusions Results suggest PD patients score higher on loneliness scales than non-PD populations. Depression, QoL, and social network are stronger predictors of loneliness than PD motor symptoms. Given its prevalence and known health impacts, loneliness in the PD population merits further exploration.

Authors/Disclosures
Tila Warner-Rosen (Rush University Medical Center) PRESENTER	No disclosure on file
Christopher Goetz, MD, FAAN (Rush University Medical Center)	The institution of Dr. Goetz has received research support from Michael J. Fox Foundation. The institution of Dr. Goetz has received research support from NIH. The institution of Dr. Goetz has received research support from Department of Defense. Dr. Goetz has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care. Dr. Goetz has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care. Dr. Goetz has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care.
Michelle H. Tosin, PhD, RN (Rush University Medical Center)	Dr. Tosin has received personal compensation in the range of $0-$499 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for NeuraLight . The institution of Dr. Tosin has received research support from International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society. Dr. Tosin has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant with International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society.
David Gonzalez (Rush University Medical Center)	David Gonzalez has nothing to disclose.

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