Caregiving and gingival symptom reports: psychophysiologic mediators.
OBJECTIVE
We first assessed the association of caregiving with gingival symptom reports. We then assessed whether the observed relationship was mediated by psychophysiologic host factors.


METHODS
Caregivers of spouses with Alzheimer's disease (n = 123) were compared with demographically similar noncaregiver spouses (n = 117).


RESULTS
The percentage of caregivers (17%) who reported gingival symptoms was twice that of noncaregivers (8.5%) (p < .05), despite the fact that caregivers and noncaregivers did not differ in oral health care. The relationship between caregiving and gingival symptom reports was mediated by psychophysiologic variables. Caregivers were higher on hassles (p < .05), depressed mood (p < .05), and metabolic risk (insulin, glucose, obesity; p < .05) than were noncaregivers. Greater gingival symptom reports were also associated with greater hassles (p < .01), depressed mood (p < .001), and metabolic risk (p < .001). Measures of subcutaneous fat, inflammation, and frank diabetes were related to gingival symptom reports but not to caregiver status.


CONCLUSIONS
A higher percentage of caregivers reported gingival symptoms than noncaregivers. These results have implications for research on aging, psychophysiology, and chronic stress.
Vitaliano
Peter P
PP
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-6560, USA. pvital@u.washington.edu
Persson
Rutger
R
Kiyak
Asuman
A
Saini
Hardeep
H
Echeverria
Diana
D
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000451:nursing; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D005882:Gingival Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D010555:Personality Inventory; D015995:Prevalence; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology