Factors associated with symptoms of depression among informal caregivers of demented elders in the community

This study assessed variables associated with increased severity of depressive symptoms among 321 informal caregivers of demented subjects living in the community identified by a Canadian national population-based survey. Measures included patient and caregiver demographic variables; patient behavioral disturbance, activities of daily living, and cognitive impairment; living arrangement, and duration of disease. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Multiple regression analyses indicated that a higher CES-D score was significantly associated with three caregiver characteristics (being a spouse or child of the patient, self-identified ethnicity other than English and French Canadian, and lower education), and two patient characteristics (greater behavioral disturbance and moderate to severe functional impairment).