The purpose of the Daily Study of Caregiving Relationships and Health is to learn how caregiving relationships and social connectedness are associated with dementia caregivers' health, health behaviors, and diurnal patterns of salivary cortisol. Investigators are asking caregivers to complete 14-days of surveys which ask about their relationships and health behaviors, in addition to 2 longer surveys (baseline and 3-month follow up). Investigators hypothesize that on days when caregivers receive more emotional support, they will report better health behaviors (e.g., improved sleep quality). On days when caregivers experience greater 1) strain and 2) loneliness, they will report poorer health behaviors. Information about which aspects of social relationships and social connectedness most affect health will be used to inform interventions programs.
The purpose of the Daily Study of Caregiving Relationships and Health is to learn how caregiving relationships and social connectedness are associated with dementia caregivers' health, health behaviors, and diurnal patterns of salivary cortisol.~This is a pilot study wherein the purpose is to test the feasibility and acceptability of study protocols.