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Caregiving alters immunity and stress hormones: a review of recent research

Older caregivers of dementia patients have been studied as a model of chronic stress influencing psychological and physical well-being and the function of the immune system. These immune decrements can relate to altered stress hormone levels, and caregivers show elevated or reduced cortisol compared to age-matched controls as well as dysregulation in other cortisol indices. Recently, this field has developed to examine a range of immune outcomes and cortisol measures in younger caregivers too, as well as other potential underlying mechanisms including genetic variation, acute stress reactivity and inflammation. Several interventions have also been trialled to reduce the negative physical impact of caregiving stress. This paper reviews the latest developments in the field and gives suggestions for future research.

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Key Information

Type of Reference
Jour
Type of Work
Review
Publisher
Elsevier B V
ISBN/ISSN
2352-1546
Publication Year
2019
Issue Number
August
Journal Titles
Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences
Volume Number
28
Start Page
93
End Page
97