Specific effects of caring for a spouse with dementia: differences in depressive symptoms between caregiver and non-caregiver spouses.
BACKGROUND
Caring for spouses with dementia is a risk factor for increased levels of depression. Less is known about specific symptom differences between groups of caregivers and non-caregivers. This study characterizes differences on the CES-D depression screening scale between caregiving and non-caregiving spouses.


METHODS
Data were obtained from 391 spouse caregivers of persons with dementia and 226 control subjects. Significant between-group differences on demographic variables determined covariates used in two multivariate ANCOVA analyses, on the set of four CES-D subscales and on the set of the 20 CES-D individual items. Significant multivariate analyses were followed by univariate tests between the two groups.


RESULTS
Dementia caregiving spouses had significantly more depressive symptoms than non-caregiving married adults, after controlling for group differences. Proportion of variance in the set of CES-D subscales explained by caregiver group status was 13.4%. The greatest between-groups difference in univariate analysis was found in the Positive Affect subscale, and significant differences were found in 11 of the 20 CES-D items. Caregiver spouses experienced less hope for the future and less happiness and enjoyment in life than the non-caregiving spouses. They also reported greater degrees of sadness, being bothered, and loneliness than the non-caregivers.


CONCLUSIONS
The differences, particularly caregivers' lack of positive affect, suggest the need for appropriate intervention approaches to assist spouse caregivers.
Adams
Kathryn Betts
KB
The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences and University Memory and Aging Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, U.S.A. kathryn.adams@case.edu
D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003704:Dementia; D003710:Demography; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012042:Registries; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires