A study led by McGill University Associate Professor Marc Pell has determined many people develop negative impressions about Parkinson's disease victims based solely on how they communicate. Such perceptions, said Pell, limit opportunities for social interaction and full participation in society for those with the disease, reducing their quality of life.
The research -- conducted with Abhishek Jaywant, a trainee in McGill's Neuropragmatics and Emotion Lab -- involved aging adults both with and without Parkinson's being recorded as they described visual scenes.
Their voices were then played to listeners who were unaware of the speaker's health status. Pell said those with Parkinson's disease were perceived as less interested, less involved, less happy and less friendly than aging speakers without the disease. Negative impressions of their personality were specifically related to changes in the speaking voices caused by the disease, not the ability to describe the scenes.
Since the ability to communicate effectively is of major importance to one's psychological well-being, Pell said the findings emphasize that problems with movement, which alter the speaking voice of Parkinsonian adults, create important social barriers and difficulties with interpersonal communication.
He said the research provides another avenue by which health professionals can address mental and emotional health issues in Parkinson's patients.
Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).
Post new comment