Caring for Caregivers: Multiple Losses,Diminished Social Support,and their Associations with Depression in Family Caregivers

Abstract

The present study investigated the association between family caregiving-related losses, diminished social support, and depression in 533 adult family caregivers living in the United States. Results suggested that 62.66% (n = 334) of participants were considered at risk for depression. Results from structural equation modeling (SEM) approaches revealed that caregiving-related losses were a strong predictor of depression, explaining 47% of a total variance. A lack of social support was also a predictor of depression in this sample, increasing total variance accounted for to 51%. We discuss clinical implications, including strategies for coping with caregiving-related losses and their correlates.

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