Cited by 48Dementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchNursing care and researchHealth and Well-being Studies

Perceived stress in older dementia caregivers: Mediation by loneliness and depression

Open access
Peavy, Guerry, Mayo, Ann M., Avalos, Cynthia, Rodriguez, Amanda, Shifflett, Benjamin, Edland, Steven D.·2022·American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias®

Abstract

Coupled with aging, chronic stress experienced by dementia caregivers often leads to deteriorating health. Comparing caregivers and non-caregivers, we tested whether depression and loneliness mediate the relationship between caregiver status and a measure of chronic stress, the Perceived Stress Scale. Seventy-six cognitively normal older adults (mean age 72.7) were identified as caregivers or non-caregivers based on the functional independence of a paired family member. Caregivers reported more perceived stress, depression, and loneliness than non-caregivers. Using multiple mediation analyses, we found that loneliness and depression mediated the relationship of caregiver status with perceived stress. The loneliness effect on perceived stress was both direct and via its relationship with depressive symptoms. The findings suggest loneliness as a likely point of intervention to reduce caregiver stress. Initiatives to enable caregivers to maintain or develop social relationships apart from caregiver responsibilities may mitigate stress and its negative impact on mental and physical health.

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Crossref · 10.1177/15333175211064756

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  • The PSS has shown strong psychometric properties in caregiving and dementia-related studies.

    “The PSS has shown strong psychometric properties in caregiving and dementia-related studies (Deeken et al., 2018; Peavy et al., 2022).”

    From Mindfulness and rumination: stress pathways for caregivers of persons living with dementia. (2026) · cites this paper as Peavy et al., 2022

    The Methods (Additional Measures; page unavailable) describe the PSS-10, and the Results report that it distinguished older dementia caregivers from non-caregivers. But our copy does not report strong reliability or validity findings for the PSS in this population; the reliability figures in Additional Measures concern the loneliness scale, not the PSS. (LLM, conf=0.78)

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Authors
Peavy, G., Mayo, A. M., Avalos, C., Rodriguez, A., Shifflett, B., & Edland, S. D.
Affiliations
  • University of California San Diego (US)
  • University of San Diego (US)
Corresponding author
Peavy, Guerry
Venue
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias®
Published
2022-01-05
Volume
37
Pages
15333175211064756-15333175211064756
ISSN
  • 0888-4897 (ISSN-L)
  • 1533-3175
  • 1938-2731
OpenAlex
W4206632540
Cited by
48
References
53
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 3
FWCI
5.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • American Journal of Alzheimer s Disease & Other Dementias® (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (P-30 AG062429, R01 AG049810)
  • State of California, Department of Public Health, Alzheimer’s Disease Program (Alzheimer’s Disease Research Award, #16-10054)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Nursing care and research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Health and Well-being Studies
Keywords
dementia caregiving, older adults, perceived stress, loneliness, depression, mediation, caregiver burden, family caregivers, interpersonal relationships, caregiver interventions
MeSH terms
Aged, Dementia, Depression, Humans, Loneliness, Stress, Psychological, Caregivers

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