Perceived Health, Psychological Distress, and Subjective Well-Being Among Older Adults With Parkinson’s Disease: A Cross-Lagged Analyses

Abstract

BackgroundGrowing number of ageing population adds to the increase in the number of the patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study examines how perceived health, psychological distress, and subjective well-being evolve in older adults with PD.MethodsA cross-lagged study design was employed using data from Waves 4 and 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). In total, 421 older adults diagnosed with PD at the baseline (46% female; mean age 74.98 ± 9.05 years) were followed-up with a 4-year lag. Auto-regressive effects and cross-lagged associations between the measured variables were examined in reciprocal models. ResultsIndividual differences in perceived health, psychological distress, and subjective well-being were relatively stable over the 4-year lag. A final reciprocal model with significant cross-lagged effects well-explained the underlying structure of the sample data.DiscussionEarly behavioral and psychological intervention at disease onset will play a pivotal role in maintaining a sense of well-being among older adults with PD.