Research report: Caregiver mental health in chronic neurological disorders: A comparative study of depression, anxiety, and OCD in Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis caregivers

Among 240 caregivers recruited from neurology clinics in Iran, 56% of the multiple sclerosis group met the study’s anxiety threshold, compared with 50% of the Parkinson’s group. Depression affected 50% and 36% of the respective groups, while rates of clinically significant obsessive-compulsive symptoms were 32.9% and 24.3%. Researchers recruited 120 caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis and 120 caregivers of people with Parkinson’s disease.

Participants underwent interviews using the Beck Anxiety Inventory, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised. The investigators also collected demographic and clinical information, then used multivariable logistic regression to determine whether the type of neurological disorder independently predicted anxiety, depression or obsessive-compulsive symptoms after potential confounders were taken into account. The unadjusted results showed a consistent numerical pattern: all three outcomes were more prevalent among multiple sclerosis caregivers than among Parkinson’s caregivers.

Anxiety was the most common reported outcome in both samples. Depression and obsessive-compulsive symptoms were also frequent, with the largest raw contrast occurring for depression. These prevalence estimates describe how often each group met the study’s defined thresholds, but the supplied results do not provide comparative severity estimates for the three conditions.

Adjustment changed the interpretation of the raw prevalence differences. In the multivariable analyses, the type of disease—multiple sclerosis rather than Parkinson’s disease—was not an independent predictor of anxiety, depression or obsessive-compulsive symptoms. The study therefore did not establish that one diagnosis carried a distinct mental-health risk for family caregivers after confounding factors were considered.

Instead, the findings identify substantial psychological burden in both caregiver groups, without demonstrating that the multiple sclerosis group’s higher raw rates were attributable to the disorder itself. The design and recruitment process limit what can be inferred from the findings. Because the study was cross-sectional, it did not track changes over time or establish whether caregiving caused the reported symptoms.

Its clinic-based sample came from neurology facilities in Iran, so the results may not represent all caregivers of people with either disorder. Disease severity and caregiving intensity were identified as factors for future investigation, but the study’s reported conclusion calls for research that incorporates them. The authors’ call for routine caregiver screening and targeted psychological support in both neurological care settings is a policy implication drawn from the observed prevalence, not evidence that such services were evaluated in this research.

Subject of Research: Comparative mental health outcomes among family caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease in Iran

Article Title: Caregiver mental health in chronic neurological disorders: A comparative study of depression, anxiety, and OCD in Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis caregivers

Article References: Hojjatipour, F., Soleimani, S., Salari, M., & Etemadifar, M. (2026). Caregiver mental health in chronic neurological disorders: A comparative study of depression, anxiety, and OCD in Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis caregivers. BMC Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05514-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-05514-1

Keywords: caregiver mental health, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, cross-sectional study, Iran, multivariable regression, Caregiver, mental, health