# Stress resilience and aging in Alzheimers disease and dementia caregivers

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $130,424

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The overall goal of Dr. Alexandra Crosswell’s research is to identify pathways by which chronic stress disrupts
healthy cognitive and biological functioning in older adults, and to target these pathways with tailored
psychological interventions. This K01 award will support her in becoming an independently funded scientist at
the intersection of stress, health, and aging research by supporting her training in epidemiological methods,
neuropsychological assessment, biomarkers of aging, and intervention development. She will also become an
expert in working with older adult Alzheimer’s and related dementia caregivers, a high stress population of
great interest for public health and public policy. Nearly 16 million family and friends provide unpaid care to
those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Compared to age-matched non-caregivers, dementia
caregivers have worse mental and physical health, including increased rates of chronic disease. What makes
caregiving detrimental to health is largely unknown. Caregiver risk and resilience factors need to be identified
in order to develop targeted interventions. Dr. Crosswell’s program of research will examine whether appraisals
of the caregiving experience are associated with health outcomes, and whether targeting these appraisals with
psychological intervention can increase stress resilience. In Aims 1 and 2 she will examine associations
between two established stress appraisals (role captivity and benefit finding) and outcomes that predict chronic
disease development and progression, namely, cognitive control, inflammatory burden, and cellular aging. This
will be tested in two longitudinal cohorts that include caregivers, the Caregiver-Study of Osteoporotic Fractures
and the Brain Health Registry. Replication of results in two independent samples is a major strength of the
proposed research. In a third study (Aim 3), Dr. Crosswell will pilot a brief online intervention for Alzheimer’s
disease and related dementia caregivers at greatest risk of health decline. Dr. Crosswell will test whether four
sessions of expressive writing can increase positive stress appraisals of caregiving, daily positive affect, and
cognitive control abilities. Through expressive writing participants process stressful or traumatic experiences by
cognitively reframing them to fit in to existing schemas or altering schemas to allow the experience to fit in.
Three initial studies have shown the psychological benefits of expressive writing for dementia caregivers,
though none have focused the writing on the positive aspects of caregiving which may result in stronger effects
as it encourages reframing that includes greater benefit finding, an established stress buffer. This K01
Research Scientist Career Development Award will provide the necessary training and mentorship to launch
Dr. Crosswell’s career as an independent investigator conducting high impact research at the intersection of
stress, health, and a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9927552
- **Project number:** 5K01AG057859-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Alexandra Dupont Crosswell
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $130,424
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-15 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9927552

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9927552, Stress resilience and aging in Alzheimers disease and dementia caregivers (5K01AG057859-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9927552. Licensed CC0.

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