Date of Award

8-1-2009

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

Morgridge College of Education

First Advisor

Cynthia McRae, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Roger Salters

Third Advisor

Kathy Green

Fourth Advisor

Barbara Vollmer

Keywords

Fetal tissue transplantation surgery, Parkinson's Disease, Personality, Quality of life

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive condition that affects the physical, emotional, and social functioning of individuals. Freed et al. (2001) conducted a double-blind sham-controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of fetal tissue transplantation of those with PD. The authors investigated the effects of the surgery across the dimensions of physical and neurological functioning. A quality of life (QoL) study was conducted to determine if there were differences in QoL when comparing those who received the fetal tissue transplantation to those who received the sham surgery (McRae et al., 2004).

While there is little research on the effectiveness of fetal tissue transplantation as a treatment for PD, there is even less literature on longitudinal effects of this treatment. This study examined the longitudinal trajectory of change in QoL since participants received fetal transplant surgery 10-12 years ago. Participants included 11 people who were in the parent (Freed et al., 2001) and original QoL (McRae, 2004) studies. Participants completed a questionnaire that measured the dimensions of QoL along with a personality inventory, the NEO-FFI. Data gathered from the questionnaires were compared to baseline, one-year, and two-year information on the same participants. Trajectory of change in QoL and personality was assessed with a repeated measures analysis of variance.

For the present study, significant changes over time were found for the Physical functioning (p < .05) and Emotional functioning (p < .10) dimensions of QoL. A significant result was also found for the Social functioning (p < .05) dimension of QoL that was measured by the Social Provisions Scale. In addition, significant results were found for the Neuroticism (p < .10), Extraversion (p < .05), Openness to Experiences (p < .05), and Conscientiousness (p < .10) factors of the NEO-FFI. Participants reported a decrease in Physical, Emotional, and Social functioning between the two-year and current assessments. Participants reported an increase in Neuroticism, and a decrease in Extraversion, Openness to Experience, and Conscientiousness between the two-year and current assessments. Findings of the current study provided longitudinal information on the trajectories of fetal tissue transplantation on QoL and personality for participants with PD.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Cynthia C. Cole

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

146 p.

Discipline

Mental health, Health education, Psychology

Download



Share

COinS