Enhancing Psychological Wellbeing and the Patient-caregiver Relationship Through Dyadic Mindfulness: A Randomized Controlled Trial in People With Parkinson's Disease and Their Caregivers

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating the effects of dyadic mindfulness on physical, psychological, and spiritual outcomes in people with Parkinson's Disease (PwPD) and their family caregivers. This randomized waitlist-controlled trial involves 100 Chinese patient-caregiver pairs and aims to understand how mindfulness practices may influence negative emotions, patient-caregiver relationships, mindfulness levels, quality of life, gut microbiome, Parkinson's symptoms, and caregiving burden. Participants in the study will be randomly assigned to either receive eight weekly 90-minute dyadic mindfulness sessions or continue with usual care, which includes routine outpatient services and minimal health education. The mindfulness sessions, led by a certified yoga instructor, include meditation, mindful breathing, and yoga modified for paired practice. The control group will receive the mindfulness training after the six-month study period. Participants will be assessed at three time points: before starting the study, immediately after the intervention (2 months), and four months after the intervention (6 months). Assessments include measuring negative emotions, patient-caregiver relationship quality, mindfulness, health-related quality of life, gut microbiome analysis, Parkinson's motor and non-motor symptoms, and caregiving burden. Additionally, 25 dyads will be invited for in-depth interviews to explore their experiences and perceived changes. The study will use statistical models to analyze the interactions within patient-caregiver pairs and the overall effects of the intervention.

Dyadic Mindfulness for People With Parkinson's Disease and Their Caregivers