Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of disease self-management and depression in home-dwelling people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). We focused on depression, as it greatly affects the quality of life of people with PD. Methods: An anonymized self-administered questionnaire survey which was conducted with 185 people with PD received 177 (95.7%) valid responses. Results: The proportion of participants with depression (K6 score of 5 points or more) was 49.7%, and approximately half the participants exhibited depressive tendencies. Regarding disease self-management, although the implementation rate of “drug administration” was relatively high, the implementation rates of “maintaining a record of symptom changes” and “frequency and amount of defecation” were low. This indicated a need for self-monitoring education. Additionally, the Barthel Index score and the disease self-management aspects of “continuation of favorite activities” and “being optimistic without overthinking” showed a significant negative relationship with depression. Conclusions: In teaching disease self-management, it is necessary for nursing staff to encourage people with PD to continue practicing their hobbies and things they find enjoyable. Further, nursing staff should consider the way people perceive their illness.
