Coupled with aging, chronic stress experienced by dementia caregivers often leads to deteriorating health. Comparing caregivers and non-caregivers, we tested whether depression and loneliness mediate the relationship between caregiver status and a measure of chronic stress, the Perceived Stress Scale. Seventy-six cognitively normal older adults (mean age 72.7) were identified as caregivers or non-caregivers based on the functional independence of a paired family member. Caregivers reported more perceived stress, depression, and loneliness than non-caregivers. Using multiple mediation analyses, we found that loneliness and depression mediated the relationship of caregiver status with perceived stress. The loneliness effect on perceived stress was both direct and via its relationship with depressive symptoms. The findings suggest loneliness as a likely point of intervention to reduce caregiver stress. Initiatives to enable caregivers to maintain or develop social relationships apart from caregiver responsibilities may mitigate stress and its negative impact on mental and physical health.

再加上老龄化，痴呆症护理人员所经历的慢性压力往往会导致健康状况恶化。比较看护者和非看护者，我们测试了抑郁和孤独感是否介导了看护者状态和慢性压力测量指标——感知压力量表之间的关系。根据配对家庭成员的功能独立性，76 名认知正常的老年人（平均年龄 72.7 岁）被确定为照顾者或非照顾者。照顾者比非照顾者报告了更多的压力、抑郁和孤独感。使用多重中介分析，我们发现孤独和抑郁在照顾者状态与感知压力的关系中起中介作用。孤独感对感知压力的影响既是直接的，也是通过它与抑郁症状的关系来实现的。研究结果表明，孤独感可能是减轻照顾者压力的干预措施。使照顾者能够在照顾者责任之外维持或发展社会关系的举措可以减轻压力及其对身心健康的负面影响。