Abstract
Objectives: Recent findings of better health outcomes in older caregivers than noncaregivers suggest a healthy caregiver hypothesis (HCH) model may be more appropriate than the stress process model for evaluating the health effects of caregiving. In a cross-sectional study, we tested the HCH on two cognitive domains: verbal memory and processing speed. Method: Participants from the Caregiver Study of Osteoporotic Fractures who had a 2-year follow-up interview were categorized as continuous caregivers (n = 194), former caregivers (n = 148), or continuous noncaregivers (n = 574). The Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT; memory) and Digit Symbol Substitution Task (DSST; processing speed) were administered at the follow-up interview. Results: Continuous caregivers had better memory performance and processing speed than continuous noncaregivers: adjusted mean scores for HVLT were 18.38 versus 15.80 (p <.0001), and for DSST were 35.91 versus 34.38 (p =.09). Discussion: Results support the HCH model for cognitive outcomes in older women caregivers; however, the relationship may be domain specific.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 48-66 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of aging and health |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Feb 2012 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) is supported by National Institutes of Health funding. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) provides support under the following grant numbers: AG05407, AR35582, AG05394, AR35584, AR35583, R01 AG005407, R01 AG027576-22, 2 R01 AG005394-22A1, and 2 R01 AG027574-22A1. Additional funding support came from R01 AG18037 for the Caregiver-SOF study and R01 AG028144 for Fredman and Mezzacappa, and R01 AG028556, and R21 AT002959 for Fredman.
Keywords
- caregiving
- cognition
- elderly women