REDUCED PREPARATORY RESPONSES IN PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA PREDICT CAREGIVER MENTAL HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS AFTER CARE ENDS

Q: How were caregiver mental and physical health changes measured?

Caregiver mental and physical health were measured with the Short-Form Health Survey (SF36) during active caregiving and again after caregiving ended.

Q: What physiological measure was used to assess emotional functioning in people with dementia?

People with dementia were assessed by measuring preparatory physiological activity (e.g., increased heart rate) in response to an upcoming emotional event using emotion-eliciting films.

Q: What did the results show about caregiver mental health after caregiving ended?

Overall, caregivers reported increases in mental health across the two measurement periods, and smaller preparatory physiological responses in PWNDs predicted greater improvements.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret

Caregivers of people with neurodegenerative disease often experience mental and physical health problems, particularly when care recipients show deficits in emotional functioning. A study of 65 people with dementia (PWNDs) and their caregivers assessed changes during active caregiving and after caregiving ended, measuring caregiver mental and physical health via SF-36. PWND emotional functioning was evaluated through preparatory physiological responses before emotionally evocative films. Caregivers showed improved mental health and reduced physical health, with stronger mental health improvements linked to smaller PWND preparatory response impairments.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Study design

Measures and assessment

Results and associations

Conclusions

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 481 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.1644 REDUCED PREPARATORY RESPONSES IN PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA PREDICT CAREGIVER MENTAL HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS AFTER CARE ENDS Julian Scheffer1, Kuan-Hua Chen2, Claire Yee3, Jenna Wells4, Sandy Lwi5, Enna Chen6, Jennifer Merrilees7, and Robert Levenson8, 1. University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, 2. University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 3. Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona, United States, 4. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States, 5. VA Northern California Health Care System, Fairfield, California, United States, 6. Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States, 7. University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States, 8. University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States 482 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Caregivers for people with neurodegenerative disease (PWNDs) often experience mental and physical health problems, especially when caring for PWNDs who have deficits in emotional functioning. We studied 65 PWNDs and their caregivers both during active caregiving and after caregiving had ended to determine: (a) how caregiver health changes after caregiving ends; and (b) whether PWNDs’ emotional functioning predicts these changes. PWND emotional functioning was assessed in the laboratory by measuring their generation of preparatory physiological activity (e.g., increased heart rate) to an upcoming emotional event (i.e., emotion eliciting films). Caregiver mental and physical health were measured using the Short-Form Health Survey (SF36) during active caregiving and again after caregiving had ended. Results indicated that, overall, caregivers reported increases in mental health,(t(36) = 2.58, p =.014, 95% CI [1.31, 10.93]) but decreases in physical health (t(36)= -2.35, p = .025, 95% CI [-7.26, -0.53]) across the two measurement periods. Using latent change score models, PWNDs’ preparatory physiological response impairments were associated with better caregiver mental health trajectories (β = -0.37, SE =0.04, p = .003) such that smaller PWND preparatory responses predicted greater improvements in caregiver mental health (β=9.92, SE=2.84, p < .001). There was no association with changes in caregiver physical health. Smaller preparatory physiological responses in PWNDs may indicate diminished emotional responding, which is linked with lower caregiver mental health during active caregiving. Once caregiving ends, these caregivers may be most likely to “rebound”and show improvements in mental health. t

FAQs

How were caregiver mental and physical health changes measured?

Caregiver mental and physical health were measured with the Short-Form Health Survey (SF36) during active caregiving and again after caregiving ended.

What physiological measure was used to assess emotional functioning in people with dementia?

People with dementia were assessed by measuring preparatory physiological activity (e.g., increased heart rate) in response to an upcoming emotional event using emotion-eliciting films.

What did the results show about caregiver mental health after caregiving ended?

Overall, caregivers reported increases in mental health across the two measurement periods, and smaller preparatory physiological responses in PWNDs predicted greater improvements.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret