[Predictors of depression among family caregivers of older adults with dementia].
OBJECTIVE
This study was to identify important predictors of depression among characteristics of caregiving situation and utilized resources in order to provide basic information for effective nursing interventions to reduce depression experienced by family caregivers of older adults with dementia.


METHODS
Seventy one family caregivers were identified from community service centers and face-to-face interviewed using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and hierarchical multiple regression using SPSS WIN 10.0 program.


RESULTS
Family caregivers reported high levels of depression, moderate levels of social support, and moderate utilization of coping strategies. Female caregivers who (beta=.22) utilized 'negative' coping strategies more often (beta=.48) and 'cognitive reconstructuring' coping strategies less often (beta=-.23) were more likely to report higher depression (R2=0.63).


CONCLUSIONS
Nursing interventions increasing family caregivers' utilization of positive coping strategies such as problem solving, existential growth, and help seeking and decreasing their utilization of negative coping strategies such as self-blaming are needed to decrease their depression levels.
Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, Pusan National University, Korea. haejung@pusan.ac.kr
Hae-Jung
HJ
Lee
Young-Sook
YS
Kim
Ki-Ryeon
KR
Kim
Ju-Sung
JS
Kim
Ji-Min
JM
Seo