Too Much of a Good Thing?: Positive Religious Coping Predicts Worse Diurnal Salivary Cortisol Patterns for Overwhelmed African American Female Dementia Family Caregivers

These results extend current findings by showing that being AA, a caregiver, and high in positive religious coping may predict increased daily stress responses, mainly for those with higher patient behavioral problems. Because religious coping is a central coping strategy for AA caregivers, it is vital that epidemiologic assessments of religious coping in health and aging as well as tailored interventions focus on the unique reasons for this disparity.