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      Is caregiving hazardous to one's physical health? A meta-analysis.

      Psychological Bulletin
      Caregivers, psychology, Health Behavior, Health Status, Humans, Risk Factors, Stress, Psychological

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          Abstract

          Caring for a family member with dementia is generally regarded as a chronically stressful process, with potentially negative physical health consequences. However, no quantitative analysis has been conducted on this literature. The authors combined the results of 23 studies to compare the physical health of caregivers with demographically similar noncaregivers. When examined across 11 health categories, caregivers exhibited a slightly greater risk for health problems than did noncaregivers. However, sex and the health category assessed moderated this relationship. Stronger relationships occurred with stress hormones, antibodies, and global reported health. The authors argue that a theoretical model is needed that relates caregiver stressors to illness and proffers moderating roles for vulnerabilities and resources and mediating roles for psychosocial distress and health behaviors.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          14599289
          10.1037/0033-2909.129.6.946

          Chemistry
          Caregivers,psychology,Health Behavior,Health Status,Humans,Risk Factors,Stress, Psychological
          Chemistry
          Caregivers, psychology, Health Behavior, Health Status, Humans, Risk Factors, Stress, Psychological

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