Publication Title: American Journal of Hypertention

Pages: 437-443

Abstract: Caring for one’s spouse has been associated with poor health, including risk of cardiovascular disease onset and mortality. However, few studies have assessed the risk of incident hypertension associated with spousal caregiving. This paper investigates this association in a large, nationally representative sample of American older adults. After adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic and health factors, (including risk behaviors, comorbid conditions, and self-rated health), current caregiving significantly predicted hypertension incidence. For long-term caregivers, there was significant evidence of risk of hypertension onset associated with caregiving. The risk of hypertension onset associated with both current and long-term caregiving did not vary by race, gender, or recipient memory illness diagnosis. Sensitivity analyses supported the primary findings.