Key result
Higher serum cortisol and caregiver distress are independently linked to poorer quality of life in HF caregivers.
Why the study?
Family caregivers of patients with heart failure are at high risk for low quality of life due to caregiving-related stress, but objective biological markers of stress are rarely evaluated alongside self-reported measures.
Do objective stress biomarkers (serum cortisol) and subjective caregiving distress (Caregiver Burden Inventory) predict physical and psychological quality of life in family caregivers of patients with heart failure?
Cross-Sectional (n=113)
No
Do objective stress biomarkers (serum cortisol) and subjective caregiving distress (Caregiver Burden Inventory) predict physical and psychological quality of life in family caregivers of patients with heart failure?
Objective biological stress (serum cortisol) and subjective caregiving burden independently and comparably predict reduced physical and psychological quality of life in heart failure family caregivers, highlighting the need for targeted stress-reduction interventions.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports caregiver stress assessment in HF; leaves open whether interventions improve outcomes.
BACKGROUND: Family caregivers are at a high risk for low quality of life due to caregiving-related stress. Caregivers' stress is commonly assessed using self-reported measures, which reflect relatively subjective and long-term stress related to caregiving, but objective biological markers of stress are rarely used for caregivers. The purposes of this study were (1) to determine whether caregiver characteristics were associated with stress assessed using a stress biomarker (serum cortisol) and a self-reported caregiving distress measure (Caregiver Burden Inventory) and (2) to determine the predictability of both stress measures for quality of life in caregivers of patients with heart failure. METHODS: Taiwanese family caregivers (N = 113; mean age, 54.5 years; 70.8% female) of patients with heart failure completed surveys including caregiving distress and quality of life measured by the Caregiver Burden Inventory and the Short Form-36 (physical and psychological well-being subscales), respectively, and provided blood samples for serum cortisol. Independent t tests, correlation, and hierarchical regression were conducted. RESULTS: Single caregivers had higher serum cortisol levels than married caregivers ( P = .002). Men had significantly higher serum cortisol levels than women ( P = .010), but men reported lower caregiving distress than women ( P = .049). Both serum cortisol (β = -0.32, P = .012) and caregiving distress (β = -0.29, P = .018) were significant predictors of quality of life in the physical well-being scale while controlling for caregivers' characteristics and depressive symptoms. Serum cortisol (β = -0.28, P = .026) and caregiving distress (β = -0.25, P = .027) also predicted quality of life in the psychological well-being scale. CONCLUSIONS: Serum cortisol and self-reported caregiving distress have similar predictability for quality of life in family caregivers of patients with heart failure. Reducing stress and caregiving distress is critical to improving quality of life in this population.
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Liu et al. (2023) conducted a cross-sectional in Family caregivers of patients with heart failure (n=113). Serum cortisol (stress biomarker) and self-reported caregiving distress (Caregiver Burden Inventory) was evaluated on Health-related quality of life (Short Form-36 physical and psychological well-being subscales) (Physical well-being: serum cortisol β = -0.32, caregiving distress β = -0.29; Psychological well-being: serum cortisol β = -0.28, caregiving distress β = -0.25, p=0.012). Serum cortisol and self-reported caregiving distress independently predicted poorer physical and psychological quality of life in HF caregivers.
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