Personality moderates immunological and functional consequences of caregiver burden

Dementia spousal caregiving is a chronic stressor and confers increased risk for adverse physical health outcomes, although not all caregivers are equally affected. Personality traits may shape how individuals respond to caregiving-related stressors, influencing vulnerability or resilience to health risks.

This study examined whether personality traits moderate the effects of caregiver burden on different markers of physical health in dementia spousal caregivers.

A sample of 219 caregivers provided blood samples and completed self-reported measures of caregiver burden, personality, and physical functioning. We measured inflammation via ex vivo lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated whole-blood leukocyte cytokine production. Multiple linear regression models tested each personality trait as a moderator of associations between caregiver burden and health outcomes.

Lower levels of agreeableness and higher levels of neuroticism moderated effects of caregiver burden on poorer physical functioning and elevated LPS-stimulated proinflammatory cytokine production. Lower levels of conscientiousness also amplified the relationship between caregiver burden and proinflammatory reactivity. In addition, higher levels of extraversion were associated with lower levels of LPS-stimulated proinflammatory cytokines, and higher levels of conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness were associated with better physical functioning.

These findings suggest that personality traits may confer differential susceptibility to the physiological and functional consequences of caregiving stress. Identifying personality-related risk and resilience factors may help inform tailored interventions to reduce health risks and promote health and well-being among dementia spousal caregivers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).