Christine McGarrigle awarded prestigious National Institutes of Health grant for spousal caregivers research

Posted on: 10 December 2024

Dr Christine McGarrigle, a leading researcher at The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) based in Trinity College Dublin, has been awarded a prestigious three year ‘R01 grant’ from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the national research agency of the United States.

The grant, titled “Psychosocial Resilience in Spousal Caregivers for Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias,” underscores the significance of understanding caregiver well-being in the context of family caregiving. The work that Dr McGarrigle will now undertake, with the assistance of this grant, aims to inform the development of policies and community services that will enhance the quality of life for both caregivers and their spouses.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – makes important discoveries that improve health and save lives.

Dr McGarrigle will compare the different policies and contexts between a number of countries and how caregivers outcomes vary. Researchers will include data from TILDA (Ireland), ELSA (England), SHARE (Germany, Italy, France, Denmark, and Czech Republic) and the HRS (US).  This will guide her in determining what policies and supports work best for spousal carers.

The NIH R01 grants are among one of the oldest and most prestigious funding mechanisms available in the United States, and competition for these grants is exceptionally rigorous. Only 1% of NIH grants are awarded to foreign organisations.

Dr McGarrigle’s research aims to uncover the factors that contribute to the resilience of spousal caregivers, who face unique challenges when supporting partners living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD).

The study will leverage data from international Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol (HCAP) studies and TILDA, in addition to other international ageing cohort studies, mentioned above, to explore key areas such as:

• Changes in mental health and well-being over time among caregivers.
• The impact of social and policy contexts on caregiver resilience.
• The interplay between caregiver and care recipient needs.

The HCAP Network is an ongoing international research collaboration to measure and understand dementia risk within ongoing longitudinal studies of aging around the world. The HCAP Network aims to harmonize methods and content to facilitate cross-national comparisons.

Commenting on her award, Dr McGarrigle said:

“This grant represents a pivotal opportunity to deepen our understanding of the dynamics of caregiving for individuals with AD/ADRD. The contribution of older carers to the care of their spouses can be overlooked by policymakers and health practitioners. By identifying risk and protective factors for resilience, we aim to inform the development of policies and community services that will enhance the quality of life for both caregivers and their spouses.”

Dr McGarrigle’s research team, composed of distinguished academic and clinical experts, will employ advanced longitudinal data analytic techniques to assess changes in well-being among caregivers over time. The findings are expected to yield important insights into the needs of caregivers and inform future interventions and support systems.

The Dean of Research Prof. Sinéad Ryan commented:

 “ I offer my warm congratulations to Dr Christine McGarrigle on this NIH award. It is a recognition of the excellence of her research, and it is also a recognition of the importance of the societal contribution of older carers in caring for their spouses. Trinity’s Research Charter asks us to engage profoundly with our publics – this award enables Dr McGarrigle’s research to engage profoundly with the policies and contexts that impact the lived experience of so many of these people, with the aim of determining what might best support them.”

Regius Professor Rose Anne Kenny, Principal Investigator of TILDA added:

“Warmest congratulations to Dr McGarrigle, a worthy recipient of this prestigious award and senior research fellow at TILDA. The potential mental and physical health consequences of caring on the spousal carer cannot be over emphasized, yet the majority of such care is informal. How best to support carers and mitigate negative impacts whilst enhancing the caring experience is a pressing international imperative given changing global demographics -  shrinking family size and increasing life expectancy.”

The project is particularly timely, as there is a growing recognition of the need for targeted support for caregivers, particularly in light of the emotional and mental health challenges they face. Dr McGarrigle’s work will build on an already extensive back catalogue of her findings and contribute to a crucial body of research that seeks to improve the lives of those affected by dementia.

For further information about Dr McGarrigle’s research and TILDA’s initiatives, please visit the TILDA website at this link: www.tilda.ie

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