To what extent does frontal type executive impairment affect coping strategies in Parkinson's disease?

Given the frequency of executive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD), we wonder to what extent this fact might influence the coping strategies which are used.

A total of 135 PD patients with no dementia were divided into two groups according to their cognitive status ('with frontal type executive impairment' or 'without frontal type executive executive impairment'). All patients were seen for a semi-structured interview to collect sociodemographic and clinical information and to assess their cognitive and mental states (DSM-IV-TR, frontal assessment battery and Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale). Then, all patients completed two self-report questionnaires concerning their coping strategies (Ways of Coping Checklist and Coping with Health, Injuries and Problems Scale).

After controlling the depression, we noticed a significant effect of cognitive status on positive re-evaluation (P = 0.02). Interestingly, except for instrumental strategies, patients with frontal type executive impairment used significantly more coping strategies than did patients without frontal type executive impairment.

Our results suggest that neither executive impairment nor depression prevents patients from using coping strategies extensively.