Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy Reduces Stress and Improves the Quality of Life in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

The aim of this study is to compare a cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBT) with a health enhancement program (HEP) for stress reduction and the impact on quality of life (QoL) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). : Thirty patients with PD participated in the study: 16 received CBT including stress-reducing elements and 14 took part in a HEP. The two groups did not differ significantly in their baseline demographic characteristics. The patients in both groups underwent weekly sessions of 2 h duration for 9 weeks. The with 39 items (PDQ-39), the (translated from the original German: (BELA) and the [ (FKK)] were used for assessment. Ratings were completed at baseline and after 9 weeks (immediately after the last treatment session). : The patients in the CBT group achieved significantly better BELA, FKK and PDQ-39 scores ( < 0.05). Subscale analysis revealed that the scores on the BELA subscales "emotional well-being" and "somatic motor function" contributed significantly to stress reduction ( < 0.05). The FKK revealed significant improvement in social skills in the CBT group ( < 0.05). : Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy appears to be an effective way for patients with PD to lessen stress and improve their quality of life.