Gender differences in stress and mental health due to COVID-19 pandemic in people living with Parkinson's disease

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the gender differences in the motor and non-motor worsening associated with COVID-19 pandemic in people living with PD. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a large variety of unparalleled challenges, many of which appear to be disproportionately impacting the mental health and well-being of men and women. People living with Parkinson's disease (PD) experimented a clinical worsening during the pandemic explained by multidimensional factors, however, gender was not one of them. Investigate the gender influence on the response to adverse effects of stressful effects of unexpected conditions may help to guide preventive programs for people living with PD. Methods: 100 people with Idiopathic PD, 45 females, mean age of 67.3 years (SD = 9.2), in stage 1-3 of disease evolution according to H&Y classification, participated in the present study. After expressing agreement to participate in the study, participants were asked to answer, through telephone interviews, a previously established questionnaire that investigates (1) general information;(2) socio-economic status;(3) information associated with PD;(4) quality of life worsening;(5) health conditions related to COVID-19;(6) mental health worsening;(7) fear of falling;(8) level of physical activity;(9) cognitive health conditions and (10) motor and non-motor aspects of DLA. The participants were divided into two groups, according to gender. The comparison in worsening severity of all factors between the two groups (male and female), was analyzed by ANOVA one-way. Results: The groups were comparable in demographic and clinical aspects. The ANOVA showed a significant statistical difference between the groups only for discouragement, sadness, hopelessness (F(1, 95) = 5.6, p = .01) and adaptation difficulty (F(1, 95) = 11.4, p = .001. The Tukey post-hoc confirmed a more severe worsening of mental health in females (p < .001). Conclusion: Females living with PD demonstrated higher levels of discouragement, sadness, hopelessness, and higher difficulty to adapt the social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results emphasize the importance of developing support assistance to mitigate the extensive negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other similar unexpected stress situations on people living with PD, as also of the development of specific interventions to the gendered impacts on mental health and well-being.