San Diego State University & University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, La Jolla, California 92093-0680, USA.
J Health Psychol. 2011 Jan;16(1):58-69. doi: 10.1177/1359105310369188. Epub 2010 Aug 13.
This study aimed to determine if Alzheimer caregivers have increased allostatic load compared to non-caregivers. Potential psychological moderators (mastery, depression, and role overload) of the relationship between caregiving status and allostatic load were also explored. Eighty-seven caregivers and 43 non-caregivers underwent biological assessment of allostatic load and psychological assessments. Caregivers had significantly higher allostatic load compared to non-caregivers ( p < .05). Mastery, but not depression or overload, moderated the relationship between caregiving status and allostatic load. In conclusion, allostatic load may represent a link explaining how stress translates to downstream pathology, but more work is necessary to understand the role of psychological factors.
本研究旨在确定阿尔茨海默病照顾者是否比非照顾者的身体应激负荷更高。还探讨了照顾者状态与身体应激负荷之间关系的潜在心理调节因素(掌控感、抑郁和角色过载)。87 名照顾者和 43 名非照顾者接受了身体应激负荷的生物学评估和心理评估。与非照顾者相比,照顾者的身体应激负荷显著更高(p<.05)。掌控感,但不是抑郁或过载,调节了照顾者状态和身体应激负荷之间的关系。总之,身体应激负荷可能代表了一种解释压力如何转化为下游病理的机制,但仍需要更多的工作来理解心理因素的作用。