Home › Research › Digital health tools
Personal mastery is associated with reduced sympathetic arousal in stressed Alzheimer caregivers
Roepke SK, Mausbach BT, Aschbacher K, Ziegler MG, Dimsdale JE, Mills PJ, von Känel R, Ancoli-Israel S et al.. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 2008-04-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Objectives Spousal caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, possibly via sympathetic response to stressors and subsequent catecholamine surge. Personal mastery (i.e., belief that one can manage life's obstacles) may decrease psychological and physiological response to stressors. This study examines the relationship between mastery and sympathetic arousal in elderly caregivers, as measured by norepinephrine (NE) reactivity to an acute psychological stressor. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Data were collected by a research nurse in each caregiver's home. Participants Sixty-nine elderly spousal Alzheimer caregivers (mean age: 72.8 years) who were not taking beta-blocking medication. Intervention After assessment for mastery and objective caregiving stressors, caregivers underwent an experimental speech task designed to induce sympathetic arousal. Measurements Mastery was assessed using Pearlin's Personal Mastery scale and Alzheimer patient functioning was assessed using the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale, Problem Behaviors Scale, and Activities of Daily Living Scale. Plasma NE assays were conducted using pre- and postspeech blood draws. Results Multiple regression analyses revealed that mastery was significantly and negatively associated with NE reactivity (B = -9.86, t (61) = -2.03, p = 0.046) independent of factors theoretically and empirically linked to NE reactivity. Conclusions Caregivers with higher mastery had less NE reactivity to the stressor task. Mastery may exert a protective influence that mitigates the physiological effects of acute stress, and may be an important target for psychosocial interventions in order to reduce sympathetic arousal and cardiovascular stress among dementia caregivers.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Roepke, S. K., Mausbach, B. T., Aschbacher, K., Ziegler, M. G., Dimsdale, J. E., Mills, P. J., et al. (2008). Personal mastery is associated with reduced sympathetic arousal in stressed Alzheimer caregivers. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181662a80
Vancouver
Roepke SK, Mausbach BT, Aschbacher K, Ziegler MG, Dimsdale JE, Mills PJ, et al. Personal mastery is associated with reduced sympathetic arousal in stressed Alzheimer caregivers. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. 2008. doi:10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181662a80. PMID: 18378556.
BibTeX
@article{roepke2008-18378556,
author = {Roepke, S. K. and Mausbach, B. T. and Aschbacher, K. and Ziegler, M. G. and Dimsdale, J. E. and Mills, P. J. and von Känel, R. and Ancoli-Israel, S. and others},
title = {{Personal mastery is associated with reduced sympathetic arousal in stressed Alzheimer caregivers}},
journal = {The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181662a80},
pmid = {18378556},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181662a80}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Objectives Spousal caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, possibly via sympathetic response to stressors and subsequent catecholamine surge.
- Results Multiple regression analyses revealed that mastery was significantly and negatively associated with NE reactivity (B = -9.86, t (61) = -2.03, p = 0.046) independent of factors theoretically and empirically linked to NE reactivity.
Why it matters
In 69 elderly spousal Alzheimer caregivers, greater personal mastery was significantly associated with lower norepinephrine reactivity to an acute stressor. This concerns caregiver stress and cardiovascular risk, not the treatment, cure or prevention of Alzheimer's disease itself.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Digital health →
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: journal h-index 178 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2008 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 58 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.9 citations a year over 20 year(s) since 2008 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 14.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 2 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Igor Grant: h-index 111 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California San Diego: institution h-index 1,852 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 18378556) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181662a80
- PubMed: 18378556
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
2 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Digital health tools
Also tagged “machine”
835 studies in the library carry the topic tag “machine”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 835 tagged studies.