Abstract:
Problem of the quality of life is a goal of scientific research for instance in psychology. Mostly it is considered in connection with evaluation of state of health, the level of cognitive and physical functioning and general well-being. The quality of life is considered in context of illness, disability and limits in everyday life. The goal of this study was comparision of selected factors: depression, cognitive functioning, age, sex and duration of disease, education with quality of life in Parkinson’s disease. Material and methods: 40 patients with Parkinson’s disease took part in the study. Following methods were used: Mini Mental State Examination_ MMSE, Beck Depression Inventory – BDI and Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire – PDQ-39. Results: Obtained results showed that somatic problems, motor ability, activity of daily living, cognitive functioning and emotional state are among the most affected areas of life. Support form relatives and communication with the social environment were the least deteriorated. Significant correlation between depression and quality of life was observed. Conclusions: The results suggest that early recognition and proper treatment of depression may improve the quality of life and reduce some of the somatic disturbances.
