Mild cognitive impairment is not predictive of dementia up to 15 years after subthalamic deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease.

Along the course of the disease, people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) experience a slow progressive alteration of their abilities. While they need support at any stage of the disease, the nature of this support evolves as symptoms worsen and disability increases. In 90% of PwPD, help is provided at home by the spouse, who serves as the primary caregiver. Regardless of the couple's previous dynamics, the illness of one partner inevitably affects the relationship. Studies have shown the interdependence of partners’ distress level and coping strategies in the face of a chronic disease. In the context of a slowly progressing illness, the coping strategies used by each partner to manage the disease as a couple can be undermined by the illness itself, jeopardizing collaboration and symmetry within the relationship. This situation can also impact relational quality, which plays a crucial role in both partners’ health and in how they perceive the caregiving experience. Consequently, many studies have focused on spousal caregivers, reporting an increased burden as the disease progresses, with significant impacts on their quality of life and health. However, few studies have examined couple functioning and most have not considered disease severity in their analyses. There is a clear need for a deeper understanding of the changes that occur in the partner relationships and the mechanisms driving these changes at different stages of the disease. This article synthesizes the results of a large study carried out in three parts and whose objective was to explore the experience of couples coping with PD, considering disease severity. More specifically, through a qualitative approach, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), used in a dyadic perspective, the aim was to identify the mechanisms through which PD affects the relationship between partners. Among qualitative approaches, IPA is particularly well-suited to explore the experiences of ontological challenges and life transitions, especially those associated with chronic illness. The psychological aspects have already been published in specialized journals. However, we believe it is equally important to present results of such qualitative studies in a format that is accessible to the broader Parkinson's disease community.