The Effects of Meditation on Perceived Stress and Related Indices of Psychological Status and Sympathetic Activation in Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Their Caregivers: A Pilot Study

Table 1

Baseline characteristics of participants with MCI/early stage Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers (𝑁=6 dyads).

	Cognitively impaired; (𝑁=6)		Caregivers; (𝑁=6)		𝑃
	Mean/𝑁	SE/percent	Mean/𝑁	SE/percent
Demographic factors
Age (mean ± SE in years)	75.00	3.65	71.50	5.25	NS
Gender					NS
Male	2	33.33%	3	50.00%
Female	4	66.67%	3	50.00%
Education					NS
At least 4 years of college	4	66.67%	3	50.00%
Less than 4 years of college	2	33.33%	3	50.00%
Married	6	100.00%	6	100.00%
Occupation					NS
Retired	5	83.33%	5	83.33%
Homemaker	1	16.67%	0	0.00%
Employed	0	0.00%	1	16.67%
Mood, stress, and sleep quality
Perceived stress scale	17.33	2.95	17.33	2.20	NS
Profile of mood states (POMS)
Total	17.50	8.37	18.17	7.60	NS
Tension/anxiety	4.33	2.11	6.33	1.61	NS
Confusion	6.67	1.28	3.17	1.78	NS
Depression	9.50	3.08	7.83	2.56	NS
Anger/hostility	7.67	2.19	7.00	1.24	NS
Vigor	17.33	2.16	16.17	1.58	NS
Fatigue	6.67	1.78	10.00	0.97	NS
Positive-negative affect scale
Negative affect	15.33	1.67	15.33	1.56	NS
Positive affect	33.50	2.53	34.00	2.57	NS
General sleep disturbance scale (Total)	19.33	3.73	49.83	7.05	0.003
Memory functioning scale (Total)	230.67	6.78	304.50	13.73	0.001
Measures related to sympathetic activation
Heart rate (average)	65.67	3.68	63.83	5.48	NS
Systolic blood pressure (average)	129.83	9.02	132.83	6.33	NS
Diastolic blood pressure (average)	72.17	5.80	78.00	3.06	NS

NS: 𝑃>0.10.