Purpose in Life in Parkinson’s Disease: Its Relationships with Well-Being, Psychological Distress and Motor Function

Objectives: To examine the role of purpose in life in a sample of patients with Parkinson’s disease and its correlations with well-being, quality of life, psychological distress, and motor function; and to compare patients reporting higher versus lower levels of purpose in life. Method: 59 patients completed the Purpose in Life subscale Scales and other questionnaires concerning quality of life, personal well-being, and psychological distress. Their motor function was assessed with the Short Physical Performance Battery. They were divided into (1) High purpose in life individuals—HPIL—(n = 23); (2) Low purpose in life individuals—LPIL—(n = 36). Bivariate correlations between questionnaires and ANOVA between-group were calculated. Results: Purpose in life was significantly and positively correlated to well-being, quality of life and motor function, and negatively to psychological distress. After controlling for age, gender, marital status, years from diagnosis and dopamine medication, HPIL individuals reported significantly higher levels of well-being, quality of life, better physical functioning and lower distress. Discussion: Purpose in life is strongly associated with mental well-being and motor function in patients with Parkinson’s disease. These findings suggested the importance of developing interventions to promote purpose in life also in this population.