Impact of informal caregiving on depressive symptoms among a national cohort of men.

Background: There is evidence that unpaid caregiving can have negative effects on the mental health of female caregivers; however, evidence of impacts on male caregivers is limited. This study addressed this gap by examining associations between becoming a caregiver and depressive symptoms among men.

Methods: We used data from waves 1-2 (2013, 2016) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Male Health (Ten to Men).

A Double Whammy? Psychosocial Disadvantages of Dementia Caregivers with Cancer Histories.

Guided by the Diathesis-Stress model, this study examined how cancer history interacted with caregiving status to determine the psychosocial functioning of dementia caregivers. This study assessed a set of indicators for psychological health and social connections among 85 spousal caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease and 86 age- and gender-matched spouses of healthy controls at study entry and 15-18 months later. Results showed that dementia caregivers with cancer histories reported lower social connections relative to caregivers without cancer histories or non-caregivers with or without cancer histories, and reported lower psychological health relative to non-caregivers with and without cancer histories at two time points.

The pattern of social support seeking and its socio-demographic variations among older adults in China.

The current study used a nationally representative sample to investigate how older adults in China with different socio-demographic characteristics proactively sought support when social support of different sources and types was available; and whether the pattern of social support seeking varied with age, gender and regions. We found that older adults in China tended to seek social support from family members rather than from non-family members. Moreover, we observed a hierarchically ordered pattern of social support seeking within the family such that older adults preferred to first seek social support from a spouse and then turn to sons only when their spouse was unavailable or incapable of providing social support.

Caregiver Psychological Distress: Longitudinal Relationships With Physical Activity and Diet.

Given limited longitudinal research with caregivers (CGs, n = 122) of spouses with Alzheimer disease, and demographically matched noncaregivers (NCGs, n = 117), we compared these groups on psychological distress (anxiety, depression), burden, and health behaviors over 2 years. Analyses examined group differences in relationships of micronutrient recommended daily allowances (RDAs) and physical activity considering hours of care, psychological distress, and burden. Participants were measured and assessed on whether they met micronutrient intake and physical activity totaled over an average week.

Social Determinants of Health: Underreported Heterogeneity in Systematic Reviews of Caregiver Interventions.

Background And Objectives: Although most people have some experience as caregivers, the nature and context of care are highly variable. Caregiving, socioeconomic factors, and health are all interrelated. For these reasons, caregiver interventions must consider these factors.

Demographic-Specific Rates for Life Events in the Cardiovascular Health Study and Comparisons With Other Studies.

Purpose Of The Study: (1a) We use the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), a multi-site heterogeneous sample of Medicare enrollees ( = 5,849) to provide rates for specific life events experienced within 6 months; (1b) We present rates for 29 other studies of community-residing older adults ( = 41,308); (2) For the CHS, we provide demographic-specific rates and predicted probabilities for age [young-old (65-75) vs old-old (≥75)], gender, race, marital status, and education.

Design/methods: The CHS sample is 57.6% women, 84.

Objective and Subjective Cognitive Problems among Caregivers and Matched Non-caregivers.

Purpose Of The Study: Caregivers (CGs) have been shown to do more poorly than non-caregivers (NCGs) on objective cognitive tests (Trails B and Digit Symbol Test, DST), but less is known about whether these groups differ in: (a) reports of subjective cognitive problems (SCPs, memory complaints, etc.) and (b) relationships of SCPs with objective cognitive tests, depression, and stress exposure. Such relationships are important because researchers/clinicians use SCPs as proxies for objective cognitive tests.

Does Caring for a Spouse With Dementia Accelerate Cognitive Decline? Findings From the Health and Retirement Study.

Purpose Of The Study: The purpose of this study is to expand our recent work, which showed that spousal dementia caregivers compared to spousal nondementia caregivers experience an accelerated rate of frailty over time, by exploring cognitive health outcomes between dementia and nondementia caregivers.

Design And Methods: Using 8 biannual waves of the Health and Retirement Study data and performance on the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status, we examined changes in cognitive health among surviving spousal caregivers (N = 1,255) of individuals with dementia (n = 192) and without dementia (n = 1,063), 2 waves prior and 2 waves following the death of the care recipient.

Results: Controlling for baseline health and contextual factors (e.

Dementia Services Mini-Screen: a simple method to identify patients and caregivers in need of enhanced dementia care services.

Objective: Improving dementia care in health systems requires estimates of need in the population served. We explored whether dementia-specific service needs and gaps for patients and caregivers could be predicted by simple information readily captured in routine care settings.

Method: Primary family caregivers (n = 215) rated their own current stress, challenging patient behaviors, and prior-year needs and gaps in 16 medical and psychosocial services.

Does caregiving cause psychological distress? The case for familial and genetic vulnerabilities in female twins.

Background: Informal caregiving can be deleterious to mental health, but research results are inconsistent and may reflect an interaction between caregiving and vulnerability to stress.

Methods: We examined psychological distress among 1,228 female caregiving and non-caregiving twins. By examining monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs discordant for caregiving, we assessed the extent to which distress is directly related to caregiving or confounded by common genes and environmental exposures.

Does caring for a spouse with dementia promote cognitive decline? A hypothesis and proposed mechanisms.

Objective: To discuss why spouse caregivers (CGs) of people with dementia may be at higher risk for cognitive problems and decline than demographically similar people not caring for a spouse with dementia (noncaregivers; NCGs).

Design: Literature review.

Setting: Community.

A Person-Focused Analysis of Resilience Resources and Coping in Diabetes Patients.

This study investigated the resilience resources and coping profiles of diabetes patients. A total of 145 patients with diabetes completed a questionnaire packet including two measurements of coping (COPE and Coping Styles questionnaires), and personal resources. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) was also assessed.

The dialectical behavior therapy ways of coping checklist: development and psychometric properties.

Skills training is a crucial mode of treatment in dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT; Linehan, 1993b), yet a psychometrically sound measure of DBT skills use does not exist. We adapted the Revised Ways of Coping Checklist (RWCCL; Vitaliano, Russo, Carr, Maiuro, & Becker, 1985) to create the DBT Ways of Coping Checklist (DBT-WCCL). Using factor analysis procedures, two subscales emerged: one assessing coping via DBT skills, the DBT Skills Subscale (DSS), and one assessing coping via dysfunctional means, the Dysfunctional Coping Subscale (DCS).

Depressed mood mediates decline in cognitive processing speed in caregivers.

Purpose: Very few studies have examined cognitive decline in caregivers versus noncaregivers, and only 1 study has examined mediators of such decline. We evaluated the relationship between caregiver status and decline on the digit symbol test (DST; a measure of processing speed, attention, cognitive-motor translation, and visual scanning) and whether this relationship was mediated by depressed mood.

Design And Methods: Caregivers for spouses with Alzheimer's disease (n = 122) were compared with demographically similar noncaregiver spouses (n = 117) at study entry (Time 1 = T1), T2 (1 year later), and T3 (2 years after T1).

Iodine status in pregnancy: role of dietary habits and geographical origin.

Objectives: A study was conducted on iodine status during pregnancy and its dependence on dietary habits, racial and geographical origin, and time since arrival in Italy.

Design And Methods: We enrolled 322 consecutive pregnant women: 217 Italians, 62 Eastern Europeans and 43 from Northern and Central Africa. All women completed a food frequency questionnaire on their dietary habits.

How does anger coping style affect glycemic control in diabetes patients?

Background: Although various forms of anger have been found to influence the psychological and physical health in many chronic illness populations, little is known about the effects of anger in diabetes patients.

Purpose: Associations between anger coping style, diabetes-related psychological distress, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were examined in 100 diabetes patients.

Method: Participants completed the Problem Areas in Diabetes and Coping Styles questionnaires, and had HbA1c assessments at study entry (Time 1 = T1), six months (T2), and 12 months after T1 (T3).

The role of resilience on psychological adjustment and physical health in patients with diabetes.

Objective: This study used a longitudinal design to investigate the buffering role of resilience on worsening HbA(1c) and self-care behaviours in the face of rising diabetes-related distress.

Method: A total of 111 patients with diabetes completed surveys and had their glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)) assessed at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Resilience was defined by a factor score of self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-mastery and optimism.

Relations of caregiving stress and health depend on the health indicators used and gender.

Extensive research has evaluated relations between stress and health. These studies have varied in the type of stress examined (acute vs. chronic) and in the way in which health has been operationalized.

Associations among perceptions of social support, negative affect, and quality of sleep in caregivers and noncaregivers.

The authors used structural equation modeling to examine associations among perceptions of negative affect, social support, and quality of sleep in a sample of caregivers (n = 175) and noncaregiver control participants (n = 169). The authors hypothesized that caregiver status would be related to sleep quality directly and also indirectly by way of negative affect and social support. This hypothesis was partially supported in that caregiving was found to be indirectly related to sleep quality.

Caregiving and gingival symptom reports: psychophysiologic mediators.

Objective: We first assessed the association of caregiving with gingival symptom reports. We then assessed whether the observed relationship was mediated by psychophysiologic host factors.

Methods: Caregivers of spouses with Alzheimer's disease (n = 123) were compared with demographically similar noncaregiver spouses (n = 117).