The Effects of Chronic Stress on the Health of Informal Caregivers: A Psychoneuroimmunology Perspective

There is a wide consensus on the deleterious effects of chronic stress on health. In this regard, people who care for a family member with a chronic illness (informal caregiversCaregiver) are a good example of a chronic stress model in humans. However, most of the conclusions provided by empirical research conducted in this field are derived from measurements based on self-reports and qualitative interviews, with less attention being paid to biological markers to corroborate the results identified by these psychological instruments. Therefore, the main objective of this theory chapter is to summarize the current knowledge regarding the effects of chronic stress on several biological markers (e.g., telomere length, cortisol levels, immunity and proinflammatory factors, and psychophysiological and neuropsychological variables) in informal caregiversCaregiver. After a brief introduction assessing whether chronic stress affects mortalityMortality and morbidityMorbidity in informal caregivers, the analysis of the association between chronic stress and the shortening of telomere length and reductions of telomerase activity and how both impact informal caregiversCaregiver’ health will be presented. After that, the conclusions regarding alterations in secretion and regulation of cortisol levels, immunity functioning, as well as psychophysiological and neuropsychological alterations that underlie the health impairments of informal caregivers will be summarized. Finally, the importance of applying different interventionsIntervention to alleviate the impact of chronic stress will also be discussed. The conclusions of this chapter offer a broader perspective of health impairments in informal caregiversCaregiver. It specifically emphasizes the importance of biological markers and can serve as a guide for researchers and clinicians in designing effective therapy to supportPsychophysiology informal caregivers.