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.
Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA. dolorest@stanford.edu
Dolores
D
Gallagher-Thompson
Gia Robinson
GR
Shurgot
Kenneth
K
Rider
Heather L
HL
Gray
Christine L
CL
McKibbin
Helena C
HC
Kraemer
Sandra E
SE
Sephton
Larry W
LW
Thompson
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