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Study Looks at Mental and Physical Health of Caregivers |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: Having positive cultural beliefs about caring for elders and strong religious beliefs can ward off depression and other mental health difficulties for female caregivers of spouses and parents with dementia, but sustained elevated levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, puts these women at risk for physical health problems, according to a study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychology. "Caregiving for someone with dementia is stressful for almost everyone and can negatively influence mental and physical health," said T. J. McCallum, assistant professor of psychology at Case Western Reserve University. In a pilot study, the researchers studied 54 caregivers (30 African Americans and 24 European Americans) and compared their mental health and cortisol levels with 64 non caregivers (48 African Americans and 15 European Americans). The participants were closely matched for their income levels, college education and length of time caring for their family members (less than five years). The researchers were looking for factors associated with "stress-related growth," the concept that some people are more adept at finding meaning and experiencing psychological and emotional growth resulting from a stressful situation. For example, when a family member or close friend dies, individuals who are higher in stress-related growth may be better able to find meaning in death and view the circumstances in a more positive light. Yet, when the cortisol levels from the caregivers' saliva were examined, it was found that older European American women and African American women of all ages had little change in their cortisol levels over the day, which may be an indication of elevated stress levels, said McCallum.
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