ArticleThe Gerontologist2019
When Distress Becomes Somatic: Dementia Family Caregivers' Distress and Genetic Vulnerability to Pain and Sleep Problems.
Article in The Gerontologist, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Correlates of Sleep Disturbance Experienced by Informal Caregivers of Persons Living with Dementia: A Systematic Review.Clinical gerontologistPooled it
- Archetypes of Family Health Climates for Nutrition and Physical Activity Among Families in Singapore: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Dual Experience and Management of Pain in Older Adults and Their Caregivers.Clinics in geriatric medicine · 2026Review
- Dyadic Comparison of Pain and Stress in Alzheimer's Disease and Caregivers.Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses · 2025Article
- Sleep quality, anxiety, and depression in palliative care patients.Palliative & supportive care · 2025Article
- Physical pain among family caregivers to older adults: A scoping review of the literature.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2024Article
- Turning stress into success: A festschrift in honor of Janice Kiecolt-Glaser.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2024Article
- Sleep and Caregiver Burden Among Caregivers of Persons Living With Dementia: A Scoping Review.Innovation in aging · 2024Article
- Analysis of Caregiver Burden Expressed in Social Media Discussions.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Development and palliative care staff reactions to a sleep regulation educational intervention.BMC palliative care · 2022Article
- Association Between Cohabitation Status and Sleep Quality in Families of Persons With Dementia in Korea: A Cross-sectional Study.Journal of preventive medicine and public health = Yebang Uihakhoe chi · 2021Article
- Pain Trends Among American Adults, 2002-2018: Patterns, Disparities, and Correlates.Demography · 2021Article
- "It's Been a Hard Day's Night": Sleep Problems in Caregivers for Older Adults.Current sleep medicine reports · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesStress can trigger physical pain and disturb sleep. Whether dementia family caregivers experience heightened pain is unknown. Cycles of unwanted thoughts about caregiving stressors and avoidance of these thoughts-that is, caregiving-related distress-may exacerbate both pain and sleep disturbances, and genetic susceptibility to stress may further modulate these associations. RESEARCH DESIGN AND
methodsDementia caregivers (72 spouses, 58 adult children, ages 34-89) rated the extent to which they experienced unintended thoughts about caregiving and tried to suppress such thoughts. They also reported their pain levels, sleep problems, and depressive symptoms. Peripheral blood leukocytes were genotyped for 5-HTTLPR (serotonin-transporter-linked polymorphic region) and 5-HT1A receptor polymorphism rs6295 on the 5HTR1A locus.
resultsShort-allele carriers for 5-HTTLPR experienced more pain and sleep problems in association with greater caregiving-related distress than those with other genotypes. For rs6295, C carriers also showed the strongest links between distress and sleep problems. Those who experienced more avoidance and intrusive thoughts about caregiving had more severe depressive symptoms, consistent with past work. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Caregivers' genetic profiles helped to explain whether caregiving-related distress predicted worse pain and sleep problems. These data reveal new somatic risks of caregiver distress and provide targets for intervention. According to plasticity theories, caregivers genetically predisposed to greater stress reactivity may also respond particularly well to interventions, and many brief treatments may effectively address caregivers' intrusions and avoidance.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.