Stress Management and Resiliency Training in People with Parkinson's Disease and their Care Partners

Background: People with Parkinson's disease (PwP) and their care partners experience stress and mental health concerns that affect quality of life and illness management. Mind–body interventions may facilitate adaptive coping and improve quality of life in PwP and their care partners. Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and potential benefits of a telehealth delivered stress management and resilience building intervention for PwP and their care partners. Methods: PwP (n = 32) and their care partners (n = 17) enrolled in an adapted 8-week group mind–body telehealth Stress Management and Resilience Training (SMART) Program for PwP and their care partners (SMART-PD). Participants completed self-report measures on quality of life, health promoting lifestyle behaviors, anxiety, depression, and care partner burden at baseline and at program completion. Thematic analysis of post-intervention participant feedback was also performed. Results: 87% PwP and 88% care partners completed the program. Among PwP, there was a significant improvement in depression (P < 0.001) and anxiety (P = 0.026) scores, as well as quality of life (P < 0.001) and health promoting lifestyle behaviors (P < 0.001) scores. Among care partners, there was a significant improvement in caregiver burden (P = 0.04) and depression (P = 0.028) scores. Conclusion: SMART-PD is a feasible, acceptable and promising intervention to address quality of life, depression, anxiety and health promoting lifestyle behaviors in PwP, as well as caregiver burden in their care partners.