Ethnicity, stress, and cortisol function in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women: A preliminary study of family dementia caregivers and noncaregivers.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined differences in psychologic and physiological responses to caregiving stress in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women dementia caregivers and noncaregivers. Dependent variables were perceived stress, depression, and salivary cortisol.


METHODS
Eighty-three women caregivers (20 Hispanic and 24 non-Hispanic white) and noncaregivers (19 Hispanic and 20 non-Hispanic white) completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), and collected three saliva samples daily for 3 consecutive days. A subsample of 17 Hispanic and 28 non-Hispanic white participants matched on age and education was used for the main analyses.


RESULTS
Caregivers had higher levels of 8 am, 5 pm, and 9 pm log cortisol as well as higher perceived stress than noncaregivers. Non-Hispanic whites had higher depression scores than noncaregivers, but there was no significant difference for Hispanics. Hispanics, regardless of caregiving status had flatter daytime cortisol slopes than the non-Hispanic whites. Multivariate regression analyses showed that both ethnicity and depressive symptoms independently predicted daytime cortisol slope.


CONCLUSIONS
Results support the relationship between chronic stress and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation among women dementia caregivers and highlight the need to examine further the role of ethnicity and depressive symptoms in their physiological responses.
Gallagher-Thompson
Dolores
D
Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA. dolorest@stanford.edu
Shurgot
Gia Robinson
GR
Rider
Kenneth
K
Gray
Heather L
HL
McKibbin
Christine L
CL
Kraemer
Helena C
HC
Sephton
Sandra E
SE
Thompson
Larry W
LW
D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D006854:Hydrocortisone