Caregiving has been robustly linked to caregiver health through the dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the context of caregiving for an adult with a chronic illness. However, little research examines the physiological impact of caregiving for a child with a chronic illness despite high burden and unique stressors. In this review, we explore the links of caregiving for a child with a congenital, chromosomal, or genetic disorder to the regulation or dysregulation of the HPA axis. A search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and the Web of Science and 15 studies met inclusion criteria. Overall, there were inconsistent links of caregiving to HPA axis functioning, perhaps due to the heterogeneity across disease contexts, study designs, and biomarker measurement. Future research should standardize measurement and study designs, increase participant diversity, and examine moderators of the links of caregiving to the HPA axis.
Keywords: Caregiving; HPA axis; Pediatric illness; Stress.
Published by Elsevier Inc.