When Ro DiBrezzo and Barbara Shadden continue their study on the effects of caregiver stress, they will measure participants’ biological stress indicators such as cortisol and IL-6 levels, which have been linked to heart disease and other health problems.
This will help them determine the precise physical effects of caregiver stress.
Caregivers May Not Recognize Stress Symptoms
"Because our definitions of what constitutes stress are fairly subjective, some people may be under great stress and not really be conscious of it, so they may not report being stressed when asked in a survey," DiBrezzo noted. "The biological markers, though, will still show up. That's why this phase of quantitative analysis is so important."
Understanding What Caregivers Need
The first part of this study showed that caregivers experience increased stress, and that caregivers feel less healthy.
Shadden and DiBrezzo's next step is to determine exactly what's going on in caregivers' bodies because of that stress and how it is affecting them.
"When this whole study is complete, we should have a better understanding of exactly what caregivers need and how we can help them cope," Shadden explained.
"This is really exciting research linked to quality of life."
