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Parkinson’s Disease Research Uncovers Social
Barrier
Newswise — People with Parkinson’s disease
suffer social difficulties simply because of
the way they talk, a McGill University
researcher has discovered.
Marc Pell, at McGill’s School of
Communication Sciences and Disorders, has
learned that many people develop negative
impressions about individuals with
Parkinson’s disease, based solely on how
they communicate. These perceptions limit
opportunities for social interaction and
full participation in society for those with
the disease, reducing their quality of life.
Pell’s research offers the public a better
understanding of the difficulties these
patients face – as well as an opportunity to
promote greater inclusiveness.
The research was conducted in collaboration
with Abhishek Jaywant, a research trainee in
McGill’s Neuropragmatics and Emotion Lab,
and with financial support from the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research and the Fonds
de la recherche en santé du Québec.
Aging adults both with and without
Parkinson’s were recorded as they described
visual scenes. Their voices were then played
to listeners who were unaware of the
speaker’s health status. 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.
The ability to communicate effectively is of
paramount importance to the psychological
well-being of all humans.
This research emphasizes that problems with
movement, which alter the speaking voice of
Parkinsonian adults, create important social
barriers and difficulties with interpersonal
communication for those affected. These
findings provide another avenue by which
health professionals can address mental and
emotional health issues in Parkinson’s
patients.
On the Web: www.mcgill.ca/pell_lab
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