Efficacy of a theatre-based intervention in patients with Parkinson’s disease

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ABSTRACT Background: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a theatre-based intervention for patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). To this end, we assigned participants to two types of intervention: a) theatre-based, which included both active and passive participation activities (Teatre Lliure, Barcelona, Spain), and b) cognitive stimulation (memory and attention) at home (Barcelona, Spain). Method: Before and after the intervention, participants were assessed on cognition (memory, language, and executive functions), mood (depression and anxiety), emotional state (apathy and anhedonia), and quality of life (Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire, PDQ-39). Results: By comparing participants’ performance pre- and post-intervention, it could be seen that they reported cognitive improvements on the PDQ-39. In addition, depressive symptoms and anxiety decreased significantly after the intervention in both groups. However, emotional well-being improved only in participants enrolled in the theatre-based intervention. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study findings demonstrated that theatre-based interventions have specific benefits for emotional well-being and non-specific benefits in terms of reducing depressive symptoms and anxiety, as well as self-perceived cognitive improvement.