ASSESSMENT OF LONELINESS AND DEPRESSION IN GERIATRIC PARKINSON'S DISEASE CLINICS

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ASSESSMENT OF LONELINESS AND DEPRESSION
IN GERIATRIC PARKINSON’S DISEASE CLINICS
Introduction Older patients, including those seen in
outpatient clinics, may be at high risk of loneliness.
Loneliness is associated with increased mortality in
older people, likely due to the association between
loneliness and ill health1. Recent work investigating
the prevalence of loneliness in older adult inpatients
also found that self-perceived loneliness was
correlated with depressive symptoms2.
Methods
30 community-based patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (age range 60-
95; mean age 78.0 years) were assessed on self reported loneliness using UCLA
Three-item Loneliness Scale* and Geriatric Depression Scaleᶧat the John
Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford.
*(scored 3-9 –score of 3 indicates no loneliness, >3 positive for loneliness)
ᶧ(scored 0-15, >5 probable depression)
Discussion I This pilot study suggests
that a significant number of patients
seen in outpatient PD clinics may be
experiencing loneliness, likely
associated with depression. These
findings are concordant with previous
analysis of the lived experience of
Parkinson’s disease, which shows that
low mood, isolation and loneliness
constitute a significant burden for
patients living with PD5.
Zachary Tait1, George Stannard1, Adrian Wells1, Jennifer Challberg2, Sanja Thompson2
1 University of Oxford Medical School, Oxford 2Department of Clinical Geratology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust
Discussion II It has been shown that
patients’ self-reported feelings of
loneliness (as tested in UCLA-3) are more
useful in identifying loneliness than proxy,
objective measurements6. Applying such
simple screening tools for loneliness could
identify patients who may benefit from
loneliness intervention strategies, and also
may warrant further investigation for
depression. Future work is needed on
assessing both subjective and objective
measurements of social
isolation/loneliness in patients with iPD
and their correlation with depression.
1. Steptoe, A., Shankar, A., Demakakos, P. & Wardle, J. Social isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 110,5797–5801 (2013).
2. Chauhan, A. et al.Identifying Loneliness and its Predictors in the Inpatient Setting. in (2018).
3. Benito-León, J., Louis, E. D. & Bermejo-Pareja, F. Population-based case-control study of morale in Parkinson’s disease. Eur. J. Neurol. 16,330–336 (2009).
4. Shulman, L. M., Taback, R. L., Rabinstein, A. A. & Weiner, W. J. Non-recognition of depression and other non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease. Park. Relat. Disord. 8, 193–197 (2002).
5. Hartley, S. et al.Narratives reflecting the lived experiences of people with brain disorders: Common psychosocial difficulties and determinants. PLoS One 9, (2014).
6. Hughes, M. E., Waite, L. J., Hawkley, L. C. & Cacioppo, J. T. A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys: Results from two population-based studies. Res. Aging 26,655–672 (2004).
Rationale Low mood is a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease
(PD) and poor recognition of non-motor symptoms at outpatient appointments is
well described3, 4. However, there is limited research into the prevalence of
loneliness in patients with PD.We investigated the presence of loneliness in older
patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (iPD), and possible correlation
between perceived loneliness and depression.
Results
▪43%of patients scored >3 on UCLA (indicating loneliness some of the time or
more)
▪30%of patients scored >5 on GDS (indicating probable depression)
▪Increasing UCLA score strongly correlated with increasing GDS score
(r=0.77,p<0.001)
Group Mean Geriatric
Depression Score
Loneliness present
(UCLA>3)
7.15
Loneliness absent
(UCLA=3)
1.94
Mean difference
between groups
5.22
(95% CI: 3.23-
7.20)
Significant
difference in GDS scores between
the
groups
using t test (p<0.0001)