141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

285430
Stress, immune function, and aging among parents of children with and without cancer or brain tumors

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Whitney P. Witt, PhD, MPH , Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Lauren E. Wisk, BS , Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Kristin Litzelman, PhD , National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Ron Gangnon, PhD , Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Objective: This study aimed to determine the relationships among stress, immune function, and aging among parents of children with and without cancer or brain tumors.

Methods: Parents of children ages 2-18 with (n=71; “cases”) and without (n=124) cancer or brain tumors completed in-person interviewer-assisted surveys assessing sociodemographics and symptoms of stress. Parents also provided blood samples, and immune function biomarkers (C-Reactive Protein, Epstein-Barr Virus antibody titers, and Interleukin-6) were assayed. Telomere length was evaluated among a sub-sample of cases (n=50). Multivariable regression analyses were used to determine 1) the relationships between caring for a child with cancer and immune function biomarkers, 2) if and to what extent this association was mediated by symptoms of stress, and 3) the relationship between symptoms of stress and telomere length.

Results: Case status was not associated with continuous measures of individual immune biomarkers; however, parents of children with cancer were more likely to have elevated levels of two or more immune function biomarkers (OR: 2.29, 90% CI: 1.18-4.42). This relationship was significantly mediated by symptoms of stress, specifically cardiopulmonary, neurological/gastrointestinal, and upper respiratory symptoms. Cases' symptoms of stress were not associated with shorter telomere length.

Conclusions: Stress related to caring for a child with cancer may result in cumulative, deleterious pathophysiological changes for parents. These results suggest a possible biological link by which caregivers' long-term health may be adversely affected. Continued monitoring of the biopsychosocial well-being of these families is warranted.

Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Explain the associations among caring for a child with cancer, stress, and elevated levels of biological markers of immune function. Identify a potential pathway leading from caregiving to adverse health outcomes.

Keywords: Stress, Caregivers

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-principal of multiple federally funded grants focusing on the maternal and child health. Among my scientific interests has been the application of the life course approach to understanding the social, behavioral, and psychological factors that contribute to human development and disparities in health and healthcare in women, children, and families.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.