Michael O'Sullivan1, Sabina Brennan1, Brian A Lawlor1, Caoimhe Hannigan1, Ian H Robertson1, Maria M Pertl1,2. 1. a Neuro-Enhancement for Independent Lives (NEIL) Programme , School of Psychology , Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN) , Trinity College Dublin , Dublin 2 , Ireland. 2. b Department of Psychology , Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland , Dublin 2 , Ireland.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Caregiving for a person with dementia is frequently used to model the impact of chronic stress on health, including cognitive functioning. However, the prevalence of typically healthier, self-selecting non-caregiving control groups could contribute to a picture of poorer caregiver performance and overstate the negative effects of stress. We investigated differences in cognitive performance between dementia caregivers and two groups of non-caregivers recruited using different sampling methods. DESIGN AND METHODS: We compared cognitive function and psychological wellbeing among 252 spousal dementia caregivers with demographically matched non-caregiving control groups drawn from (1) a population study and (2) a self-selecting sample. Comparable cognitive measures included immediate and delayed recall, processing speed reaction time and verbal fluency. RESULTS: Caregiver and non-caregiver performance was comparable on most cognitive domains. However, caregivers outperformed both control groups on processing speed (p ≤ .05) and reaction time (p ≤ .05), despite having higher levels of stress and depression (ps < .001). Furthermore, caregivers had significantly better free recall than self-selecting controls (p < .001). IMPLICATIONS: Our results, overall, do not support the idea that caregiving is associated with stress-induced cognitive deficits. Rather, the trend toward better caregiver performance is consistent with the healthy caregiver hypothesis.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Caregiving for a person with dementia is frequently used to model the impact of chronic stress on health, including cognitive functioning. However, the prevalence of typically healthier, self-selecting non-caregiving control groups could contribute to a picture of poorer caregiver performance and overstate the negative effects of stress. We investigated differences in cognitive performance between dementia caregivers and two groups of non-caregivers recruited using different sampling methods. DESIGN AND METHODS: We compared cognitive function and psychological wellbeing among 252 spousal dementia caregivers with demographically matched non-caregiving control groups drawn from (1) a population study and (2) a self-selecting sample. Comparable cognitive measures included immediate and delayed recall, processing speed reaction time and verbal fluency. RESULTS: Caregiver and non-caregiver performance was comparable on most cognitive domains. However, caregivers outperformed both control groups on processing speed (p ≤ .05) and reaction time (p ≤ .05), despite having higher levels of stress and depression (ps < .001). Furthermore, caregivers had significantly better free recall than self-selecting controls (p < .001). IMPLICATIONS: Our results, overall, do not support the idea that caregiving is associated with stress-induced cognitive deficits. Rather, the trend toward better caregiver performance is consistent with the healthy caregiver hypothesis.
Authors: E Lydia Wu-Chung; Stephanie L Leal; Bryan T Denny; Samantha L Cheng; Christopher P Fagundes Journal: Neurosci Biobehav Rev Date: 2021-12-29 Impact factor: 8.989
Authors: Glenna S Brewster; Victor Molinari; Christina McCrae; Jason Beckstead; Rita D'Aoust; Meredeth Rowe Journal: West J Nurs Res Date: 2021-09-01 Impact factor: 1.774