Criticism in the Parkinson's Caregiving Relationship: A Key Target for Intervention

Introduction: Caregiver distress is prevalent in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and predictive of negative health outcomes for both people with PD and caregivers. To identify future intervention targets, it is important to better elucidate the specific processes, such as criticism, that perpetuate burden. Objective: Evaluate the frequency and impact of criticism and reactivity to criticism in PD caregiving dyads. Methods: Eighty-three people with PD and their caregivers independently completed measures of criticism and physical and emotional health. Results: Criticism in the caregiving relationship was reported by 71.1% (n = 59) of people with PD and 80.7% (n = 67) of caregivers. Both perceived criticism and emotional reactivity to criticism were significant predictors of caregiver distress, adjusting for PD motor and non-motor symptom severity. In contrast, criticism was not related to PD depression. Conclusion: Criticism in the PD caregiving relationship is a clear target for psychotherapeutic intervention and may improve caregiver health and quality of life.