title: With a little help from my friends: social support and mental health in SCI caregivers from Neiva, Colombia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of appraisal, belonging, and tangible social support on the mental health (depression, satisfaction with life, anxiety, and burden) of Colombian spinal cord injury (SCI) caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty SCI caregivers from Neiva, Colombia completed questionnaires assessing their perceived social support and mental health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four multiple regressions found that the three social support variables explained 42.8% of the variance in caregiver depression, 22.3% of the variance in satisfaction with life, 24.1% of the variance in anxiety, and 16.5% of the variance in burden, although the effect on burden was marginally significant. Within these regressions, higher belonging social support was uniquely associated with lower depression, and higher tangible social support was uniquely associated with higher caregiver satisfaction with life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Social support may have a particularly important influence on SCI caregiver mental health in Colombia, due in part to the high levels of collectivism and strong family values shown to exist in Latin America, and may therefore be an important target for SCI caregiver interventions in this region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morlett-Paredes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Perrin
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigación Carlos Finlay, Surcolombiana University, Neiva, Colombia.
authors.forename: Silvia Leonor
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Olivera
authors.affiliation: University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Heather L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigación Carlos Finlay, Surcolombiana University, Neiva, Colombia.
authors.forename: Jose Libardo
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Perdomo
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigación Carlos Finlay, Surcolombiana University, Neiva, Colombia.
authors.forename: Jose Anselmo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Arango
authors.affiliation: University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Arango-Lasprilla
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003105:Colombia; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: SCI caregivers; mental health; social support