A Cognitive Psychophysiological Model to Predict Functional Decline in Chronically Stressed Older Adults

Work and Well-Being of Informal Caregivers in Europe

“…For one, according to the stress process model proposed by Aneshensel (1995), caregiving may lead to a decline in health due to increased stress or a change in health behaviour or diet in response to a reduction in personal time. Physiological responses to stress consistent with this theory have been documented in both medical and psychological studies (see, for example, Vitaliano et al (2007)). For another, caregiving may increase physical activity and lead to health improvements.…”

“…However, like health, cognitive ability is of significant personal and public interest since preserving cognitive ability is essential for a self-determined and independent life and should thus be considered as an outcome of interest. Higher levels of stress have been shown to impact cognitive ability negatively, but caregiving may also provide cognitive stimulation and hence have positive effects on cognitive ability (Vitaliano et al, 2007;Lee et al, 2004;Bertrand et al, 2012). The empirical evidence is still inconclusive and more research is needed.…”

Does Caring for a Spouse with Dementia Promote Cognitive Decline? A Hypothesis and Proposed Mechanisms

“…These mediators included cognition (DSST at study entry and decline in DSST over the following year), distress at study entry (composite of depression, anxiety, and vital exhaustion), and inflammation (CRP at study entry and increase in CRP from study entry to 2 years later). 87 These results suggest that cognitive performance earlier in a caregiver's life may be used to predict long-term ability to provide care. This is consistent with a study that found that poor baseline cognitive performance predicted poor physical function at follow-up but that baseline physical function did not predict cognitive performance.…”

Stress and Aging: A Biological Double Jeopardy?

“…However, there is some evidence that such biological factors may play a role in links between chronic stress and changes in physical functioning in later life. A longitudinal study of spousal caregivers of individuals with AD or matched noncaregiving controls indicated that caregivers had higher levels of physical functioning impairment at baseline and showed greater declines in functioning over a 2-year period (Vitaliano, Echeverria, Shelkey, Zhang, & Scanlan, 2007). The investigators also found that greater increases in infl ammatory burden over the 2-year period partially accounted for the greater decrements in physical functioning in caregivers versus control, suggesting one biological pathway through which chronic stressor experience was linked to changes in physical functioning.…”