Gender differences in cardiovascular response to dementia caregiving

Purpose. This study examined gender differences in cardiovascular responses to laboratory-based stress, as well as in ambulatory hemodynamic (i.e., bl ood pressure and heart rate) functioning among caregivers of persons with d ementia. Design & Methods: Participants were 25 men and 25 women caregivers , matched on age, type of care recipient's dementia, and relationship to th e care recipient. After cardiovascular reactivity to a laboratory-based car egiving stressor was assessed, the ambulatory hemodynamic functioning level s of caregivers were measured in caregivers' natural environments. Results. Female caregivers displayed greater systolic and diastolic blood pressure reactivity to a laboratory-based stress task (i.e., discussing caregiving d ifficulties) compared with male caregivers (p less than or equal to .01). i n contrast, no gender differences were found for ambulatory hemodynamic fun ctioning when aggregated overall or when in the presence of the care recipi ent. Implications: Laboratory-based findings suggest that female caregivers experience greater blood pressure reactivity to caregiving-related stress than do male caregivers. However, these laboratory-based gender differences may not generalize to differences in hemodynamic functioning in caregivers ' daily lives.