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Spousal caregivers of dementia victims: longitudinal changes in immunity and health
Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Dura JR, Speicher CE, Trask OJ, Glaser R.. Psychosomatic medicine, 1991-07-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Providing long-term care for a demented relative profoundly affects caregivers' lives. We assessed changes in depression, immune function, and health in 69 spousal caregivers who had already been caregiving for an average of five years and 69 sociodemographically matched control subjects. Between the initial sample ("intake") and the follow-up data collected an average of 13 months later, caregivers showed decrements relative to controls on three measures of cellular immunity. Caregivers also reported significantly more days of infectious illness, primarily upper respiratory tract infections. Caregivers had a much greater incidence of depressive disorders than controls, with 25% of caregivers meeting syndromal criteria at intake and 32% at follow-up, compared with no cases among controls at intake and 6% at follow-up. Caregivers who reported lower levels of social support at intake and who were most distressed by dementia-related behaviors showed the greatest and most uniformly negative changes in immune function at follow-up.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., Dura, JR., Speicher, C. E., Trask, O. J., & Glaser, R. (1991). Spousal caregivers of dementia victims: longitudinal changes in immunity and health. Psychosomatic medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-199107000-00001
Vancouver
Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Dura JR, Speicher CE, Trask OJ, Glaser R. Spousal caregivers of dementia victims: longitudinal changes in immunity and health. Psychosomatic medicine. 1991. doi:10.1097/00006842-199107000-00001. PMID: 1656478.
BibTeX
@article{kiecoltglaser1991-1656478,
author = {Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. and Dura, JR. and Speicher, C. E. and Trask, O. J. and Glaser, R.},
title = {{Spousal caregivers of dementia victims: longitudinal changes in immunity and health}},
journal = {Psychosomatic medicine},
year = {1991},
doi = {10.1097/00006842-199107000-00001},
pmid = {1656478},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/00006842-199107000-00001}
}
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Key findings
- Caregivers also reported significantly more days of infectious illness, primarily upper respiratory tract infections.
- Caregivers had a much greater incidence of depressive disorders than controls, with 25% of caregivers meeting syndromal criteria at intake and 32% at follow-up, compared with no cases among controls at intake and 6% at follow-up.
Why it matters
This study found that spousal caregivers of dementia patients had worse immune function, more infectious illness, and more depressive disorders than matched controls. It concerns the health of caregivers, not the treatment, cure, or prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 52/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Psychosomatic medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Psychosomatic Medicine: journal h-index 293 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| 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 | 1991 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| 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) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,002 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 27.1 citations a year over 37 year(s) since 1991 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 41.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 30 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 20 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Ronald Glaser: h-index 119 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | The Ohio State University: institution h-index 1,378 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 1656478) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 52 / 100 | — |
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