Psychosocial factors associated with cardiovascular reactivity in older adults.

Abstract

This study examined associations of psychosocial factors with cardiovascular reactivity in two groups of men and women--spouse caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (M age = 69.4 N = 82) and controls (M age = 68.5, N = 78) group-matched for age and gender. Cardiovascular responses to an emotional task (speech sample about one's spouse) yielded higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP, DBP) than a spoken cognitive task, which in turn yielded higher BPs and heart rate (HR) than the baseline rest period. HR was greater in response to the two tasks than in response to the baseline period, but it did not differ across tasks. Regression models of SBP, DBP, and HR reactivity in response to the two tasks demonstrated that after controlling for hypertension and gender, combinations of hostility, anger expression, avoidance coping, Type A behavior and Expressed Emotion (criticism) explained more reactivity in response to the emotional (8-12%) than the cognitive task (4-7%). Caregivers were more reactive than controls only if they were hypertensive. Psychosocial factors may be as important in explaining reactivity in older adults as in younger adults.

Coping and health: A comparison of the stress and trauma literatures.

“…However, Vitaliano, Russo, Paulsen, & Bailey (1995) examined cardiovascular recovery from laboratory stressors in older adults, and found that avoidance coping was positively related to diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. The same laboratory also found similar findings among caregivers of Alzheimer patients (Vitaliano et al, 1993). Controlling for standard risk factors such as smoking, avoidance coping was associated with higher levels of cardiovascular reactivity.…”

The relationship between care burden and social support in Turkish Alzheimer patients family caregivers: Cross-sectional study

“…Another study reported that caregivers who look after an Alzheimer's patient with little social support evidenced reactive heart rates during emotionally charged conversations [16] . Yet another study emphasized that hostility, anger, avoidance without coping, type A behavior, and emotionality in caregivers of Alzheimer's patients were related to cardiovascular reactivity [17] . Chronic stress increases the risk of hypertension in caregivers of Alzheimer's patients [18,19] .…”

Are Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Caregivers at Higher Risk for Health Problems?

“…In fact, in other areas of care such as dementia or cancer, it was found that caregivers had higher risk of cardiovascular disease, [30][31][32] an impaired immunity that could compromise healing [33][34][35][36] and even a higher mortality than the general population, between older spouses. 37 Since caregivers of ALS patients are subject to a large overhead and increased risk of depression and anxiety, this led us thinking that more studies need to be made to clarify such aspects.…”