The influence of facial masking and sex on older adults' impressions of individuals with Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) involves facial masking, which may impair social interaction. Older adult observers who viewed segments of videotaped interviews of individuals with PD expressed less interest in relationships with women with higher masking and judged them as less supportive. Masking did not affect ratings of men in these domains, possibly because higher masking violates gender norms for expressivity in women but not in men. Observers formed less accurate ratings of the social supportiveness and social strain of women than men, and higher masking decreased accuracy for ratings of strain. Results suggest that some of the problems with social relationships in PD may be due to inaccurate impressions and reduced desire to interact with individuals with higher masking, especially women.

(c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Figures

Figure 1

Facial masking by target sex interaction for observers’ interest in beginning a new relationship with targets with PD.

Figure 2

Facial masking by target sex interaction for observers’ perceptions of how supportive targets with PD would be.

Figure 3

Facial masking by target sex interaction for observers’ perceptions of how straining targets with PD would be.

Figure 4

Facial masking by observer sex interaction for accuracy of observers’ perceptions of how supportive targets with PD would be.