Socio-Occupational Functioning after Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease

Socio-occupational functioning in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) treated with subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is not fully captured by standard motor and quality-of-life scales.

To characterize patient-reported socio-occupational functioning after STN-DBS and explore associated clinical and demographic factors.

Thirty-four PD patients were assessed 9-18 months postoperatively using a semi-structured interview covering socio-occupational domains. A composite mean score (Q_mean) was computed as a descriptive index, with clinical associations explored using univariate screening and multivariate linear regression.

The Q_mean score following STN-DBS was 7.66 ± 0.86 (range 6.00-9.57). In exploratory multivariate analysis, female sex (n = 7) was associated with higher functioning (P = 0.003), whereas GBA variants (n = 5) with lower functioning (P = 0.007).

Perceived socio-occupational functioning was overall satisfactory at postoperative assessment, with limited association with conventional motor/neuropsychiatric measures, and greater association with individual factors such as sex and genetic background. These exploratory findings support inclusion of socio-occupational perspectives in DBS outcome evaluation.