Patients benefit from the presence of empathic caregivers (CGs). In this regard, empathy toward the patient is one of the clinical targets for improving patient outcomes. However, relatively little is known about the impact of patients' empathic responses on the CGs' burden. Among people living with Parkinson's disease (PwP), care partners play a major role. This study involved 28 spouse-patient couples. Empathy, stress burden, and mood disorders (such as anxiety and depression) were assessed over a 6-month period, before and after the reported intervention. Our observation points out that the improvement of patient empathy is necessary for a significant burden reduction among spouses caring for PwP.
Pomponi, M., Ricciardi, L., La Torre, G., Fusco, D., Morabito, B., Ricciardi, D., Di Gioia, A., Bernabei, R., Bentivoglio, A. R., Patient's Loss of Empathy Is Associated With Caregiver Burden, <<JOURNAL OF NERVOUS AND MENTAL DISEASE>>, 2016; 204 (9): 717-722. [doi:10.1097/NMD.0000000000000568] [http://hdl.handle.net/10807/90662]
Patient's Loss of Empathy Is Associated With Caregiver Burden
Pomponi, MassimilianoPrimo
;La Torre, Giuseppe;Fusco, Domenico;Morabito, Bruno;Ricciardi, Diego;Di Gioia, Annamaria;Bernabei, RobertoPenultimo
;Bentivoglio, Anna RitaUltimo
2016
Abstract
Patients benefit from the presence of empathic caregivers (CGs). In this regard, empathy toward the patient is one of the clinical targets for improving patient outcomes. However, relatively little is known about the impact of patients' empathic responses on the CGs' burden. Among people living with Parkinson's disease (PwP), care partners play a major role. This study involved 28 spouse-patient couples. Empathy, stress burden, and mood disorders (such as anxiety and depression) were assessed over a 6-month period, before and after the reported intervention. Our observation points out that the improvement of patient empathy is necessary for a significant burden reduction among spouses caring for PwP.
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