Factors influencing the perception of illness in patients with Parkinson's disease

To investigate the status and factors influencing the perception of illness in patients with Parkinson's disease to provide a reference for the formulation of targeted intervention measures.

The study used a cross-sectional design. Convenience sampling was used to enroll 128 patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the Neurology Department of a tertiary hospital in Anhui Province, China, between February and November 2023. The investigation was conducted using a general information questionnaire, and the Chinese version of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (CIPQ-R). Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression in SPSS 23.0.

Significant levels of negative perception were identified, with high scores for emotional representation 21.14 ± 3.44 and consequence 19.45 ± 3.03. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that gender, marriage, education, age, disease duration, H-Y stage influenced illness perception in the patients (p < 0.05).

Patients with Parkinson's disease generally have a negative perception of the disease, particularly in terms of consequences and emotional representation. Women, widows, patients with low levels of education, and those with prolonged disease duration were at high risk of negative perception. These findings provide empirical evidence for the clinical identification of high-risk groups and the formulation of targeted psychological interventions, such as strengthening social support and training in coping skills.