Empathy and (Self-)Compassion in Parkinson's Disease Patients and Caregivers

the change (no min / max values foreseen) in the level of quality of life in PD patients as measured by the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8), which assesses 8 domains of quality of life: mobility, activities of daily of living, emotional well-being, stigma, social support, cognition, communication, and bodily discomfort; higher scores indicate a worse quality of life

change in the level of empathy in PD patients and caregivers as measured by Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI): this questionnaire captures both the cognitive and emotional facets of empathy. It includes four seven-item subscales: 1) Fantasy (F) and 2) Perspective Taking (PT) for the cognitive dimension and 3) Empathic Concern (EC) and 4) Personal Distress (PersDis) for an emotional one. The F scale assesses the tendency to identify oneself imaginatively in characters and situations (for example, movie characters and novels); the PT scale contains elements that map to the ability to apply the perspectives of other people from their point of view; the EC scale evaluates feelings of compassion and concern regarding other people; the PersDis measures the personal feelings of anxiety and discomfort that are experienced by observing the negative emotion

change in the level of self-compassion in PD patients and caregivers as measured by Self-Compassion Scale (SCS): this is a 26-item validated questionnaire which measures self-compassion with six subscales: self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and over-identification. Past studies used this test with people with Parkinson's . The total self-compassion score is the mean of the six subscale means and ranges from 1 to 5, with a higher score indicating greater self-compassion

change in the level of compassion in PD patients and caregivers as a derived measure of the SCS: a 26-item validated questionnaire, measures self-compassion with six subscales: self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and over-identification. Past studies used this test with people with Parkinson's. The total self-compassion score is the mean of the six subscale means and ranges from 1 to 5, with a higher score indicating greater self-compassion

change in the level of quality of life in caregivers as measured by the Family Caregiver Quality of Life Scale (FAMQOL): it evaluates caregivers' quality of life across multiple dimensions (physical, psychological, and social well-being). The FAMQOL consists of 16 self-reported questions with 5-option Likert responses, ranging from "Strongly Disagree" to "Strongly Agree"