# Individual Differences in Dementia Spousal Caregiver Burden:  A Biobehavioral Approach

> **NIH NIH R01** · RICE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $13,038

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The goal of the parent project is to understand which AD spousal caregivers are most vulnerable to the
deleterious physical health effects of spousal dementia caregiving as they navigate the experience of living
bereavement, while coping with the burden of caregiving and trying to maintain QOL. As an exploratory aim,
we will examine how these individual in attachment orientation affect both members of the marital relationship
dyadically. Three hundred and twenty AD spousal caregivers will complete assessments of attachment, QOL,
caregiver burden, grief symptoms, and participate in a blood draw to evaluate inflammation and GCR, and HF-
HRV four times over a two-year period. They will also participate in a brief interview in reference to the AD
spouse's QOL and attachment orientation. The AD patient with mild to moderate AD will also answer questions
used previously among AD patients to assess attachment and QOL.
The present study aims to characterize the association between Alzheimer's Disease spousal caregivers'
experience of affiliate stigma, which refers to the internationalization of negative public views toward oneself,
anxiety and depression and parasympathetic activity, as indexed by heart rate variability. Previous research
suggests that caregivers are subject to experiencing stigma that contributes to chronic stress, and consequently,
autonomic imbalance, which is predictive of cardiovascular disease. Yet, to our knowledge, no study exists that
considers how the adverse effects of affiliate stigma influence parasympathetic activity among AD spousal
caregivers. We anticipate that AD spousal caregivers who experience higher affiliate stigma will associate with
increased levels of anxiety and depression and decreased levels of HRV. We must seek to understand these
interactions better, so we may determine which AD spousal caregivers are most disposed to the adverse health
effects of affiliate stigma and provide targeted treatments to alleviate the intense stress of AD caregiving.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10291308
- **Project number:** 3R01AG062690-02S2
- **Recipient organization:** RICE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Christopher Paul Fagundes
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $13,038
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-06-15 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10291308

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10291308, Individual Differences in Dementia Spousal Caregiver Burden:  A Biobehavioral Approach (3R01AG062690-02S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10291308. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*