title: Caregiving and gingival symptom reports: psychophysiologic mediators.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-6560, USA. pvital@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Peter P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Vitaliano
authors.forename: Rutger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.forename: Asuman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiyak
authors.forename: Hardeep
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Echeverria
mesh_terms: 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