Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40616688›Full record

ArticleAging & mental health2025

Lower income level is associated with less favorable health trajectories in caregivers of people with neurodegenerative disease after caregiving ends.

Julian A Scheffer, Jenna L Wells, Claire I Yee, Jennifer J Merrilees, Robert W Levenson

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Aging & mental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Caregivers' positive emotional language predicts their depression trajectories after dementia caregiving ends.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Julian A SchefferDepartment of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
Jenna L WellsDepartment of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Claire I YeeDepartment of Quantitative and Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
Jennifer J MerrileesMemory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Robert W LevensonDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.

Funding

TDP-43 Loss-of-Function: Biology to BiomarkersP01AG019724 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI Jennifer Merrilees · 2002 to 2026
$67.2M
Predicting Risk for Adverse Outcomes in Dementia CaregiversR01AG062639 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · PI Casey Leigh Brown, Robert Wayne Levenson · 2019 to 2026
$4.8M
Burden, Depression, and Health in Dementia Caregivers: The Role of EmotionR01AG041762 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · PI LEVENSON, ROBERT WAYNE · 2012 to 2016
$2.8M
Interpersonal Emotion Regulation in Neurodegenerative Disease: Pathways to Caregiver HealthR00AG073617 · NIA · GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY · PI BROWN, CASEY LEIGH · 2022 to 2025
$1.2M
When dementia caregiving ends: The role of patient-caregiver social connection in caregivers' health and well-beingF31AG072891 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · PI WELLS, JENNA L · 2021 to 2022
$93k
NIA NIH HHS F31 AG072891NIA NIH HHS P01 AG019724NIA NIH HHS R00 AG073617NIA NIH HHS R01 AG041762NIA NIH HHS R01 AG062639
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesCaregivers for people with neurogenerative diseases (PWNDs) often experience health declines during active caregiving. However, evidence is mixed as to whether caregivers' health recovers after caregiving ends. Financial hardships can create health issues for caregivers during active caregiving and may influence their health changes after caregiving is over. We examined changes in caregivers' health after PWNDs had passed away, and determined whether these changes were associated with household income level.

methodThirty-seven caregivers of PWNDs who had reported their health using the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) during active caregiving (T1) were recontacted and completed the same health measure and a measure of household income after caregiving had ended (T2) due to the death of the PWND.

resultsFor the entire sample, caregivers' emotional well-being and energy improved but physical functioning trended downward after caregiving had ended. Univariate latent change score models revealed that lower income level was associated with less favorable trajectories of change, with lower income level associated with less improvement in emotional well-being and energy and greater declines in physical functioning.

conclusionCaregivers with lower income may be vulnerable to persistent negative health outcomes after active caregiving has ended. Finding ways to support lower-income caregivers is crucial for maintaining their health after caregiving has ended.

Indexed as

CaregiversHealth StatusIncomeNeurodegenerative DiseasesAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle Agedactive and post-caregiving periodsCaregivinghealth and well-beingincomeneurodegenerative disease

Identifiers

PMID40616688
PMCPMC12404008

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Registered trials

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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.