title: The adverse mental health of carers: Does the patient diagnosis play a role?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The adverse mental health effects of caring have been studied, frequently in carers of people with dementia. Less is known about the mental health of carers of people with other conditions. This study compared depression and burden in older carers looking after people with a variety of conditions.
  Over 200 older carers interested in participating in the Improving Mood through Physical Activity in Carers and Care-recipient Trial were included in this cross-sectional study, using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall there were 43% of carers who were depressed and a quarter of them reported moderate-to-severe burden. Carers of people with physical conditions had the highest levels of depression and burden. Patient diagnosis, hours spent caring, and burden were associated with depression, while hours spent caring and carer depression were associated with burden. These factors contributed approximately 25-30% of the variance of depression and burden, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diagnosis of the patient was a factor associated with depression, and older carers of people with physical conditions were at the highest risk. It is important for clinicians to assess the mental health of all carers, regardless of the patient diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Normanby House, St George's Hospital, 283 Cotham Road, Kew, Victoria 3101, Australia; National Ageing Research Institute, 34-54 Poplar Road, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Unit, Melbourne Health, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, 300 Grattan Street, Parkville 3050, Australia. Electronic address: Samantha.loi@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Samantha M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Loi
authors.affiliation: National Ageing Research Institute, 34-54 Poplar Road, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia. Electronic address: b.dow@nari.unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Briony
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dow
authors.affiliation: National Ageing Research Institute, 34-54 Poplar Road, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia. Electronic address: kirsten.moore@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia. Electronic address: keith.hill@curtin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Level 3, 207 Bouverie Street, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia. Electronic address: melissar@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.affiliation: National Ageing Research Institute, 34-54 Poplar Road, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia. Electronic address: e.cyarto@nari.unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cyarto
authors.affiliation: National Ageing Research Institute, 34-54 Poplar Road, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; Swinburne Institute of Social Research, Swinburne University, John Street, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia. Electronic address: s.malta@nari.unimcarerselb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malta
authors.affiliation: National Ageing Research Institute, 34-54 Poplar Road, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia. Electronic address: dames@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ames
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Normanby House, St George's Hospital, 283 Cotham Road, Kew, Victoria 3101, Australia; School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences and the Western Australia Centre for Health and Ageing, University of Western Australia, Australia. Electronic address: nicolatl@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Nicola T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Lautenschlager
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D020521:Stroke
keywords: Burden; Depression; Older carers