Table 1.

Study characteristics and main results of included studies for associations between caregiving and psychophysiological stress responses (N=4)

Study references	Study design	Results
Weitzner et al,47 2000	Review – caregiving among older cancer patients	Caregiving was associated with lowered immune system functioning, increase in blood pressure, and altered lipid profiles.
Lucini et al,48 2008	Observational study with 58 cancer caregivers (vs. 60 controls)	Caregivers showed an autonomic imbalance, suggestive of sympathetic predominance at rest and of a reduction of vagal cardiac regulation.
Teixeira and Pereira,49 2014	Cross-sectional study with 78 cancer caregivers (vs. 78 controls)	Cancer caregivers showed higher cardiovascular (heart rate) and electrodermal reactivity (skin conductance) while visualizing standardized pictures with different emotional valences.
Luecken and Lemery,55 2004	Review – early caregiving and pathways to dysregulated physiological stress responses	Different genetic, psychosocial, and cognitive-affective pathways to dysregulated physiological stress responses among caregivers were found.