Factors associated with depression in older carers†
Corresponding Author
Samantha M. Loi
Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Kew, Victoria, Australia
National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Unit, Melbourne Health, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Correspondence to: S. M. Loi, Grad Cert POA, FRANZCP, MPsych, MBBS. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorBriony Dow
National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorKirsten Moore
National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorKeith Hill
School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMelissa Russell
Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorElizabeth Cyarto
National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorSue Malta
National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Swinburne Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorDavid Ames
National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorNicola Lautenschlager
Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Kew, Victoria, Australia
School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences and the Western Australia Centre for Health and Aging, University of Western Australia, Perth, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Samantha M. Loi
Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Kew, Victoria, Australia
National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Unit, Melbourne Health, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Correspondence to: S. M. Loi, Grad Cert POA, FRANZCP, MPsych, MBBS. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorBriony Dow
National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorKirsten Moore
National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorKeith Hill
School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorMelissa Russell
Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorElizabeth Cyarto
National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorSue Malta
National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Swinburne Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorDavid Ames
National Ageing Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorNicola Lautenschlager
Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Kew, Victoria, Australia
School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences and the Western Australia Centre for Health and Aging, University of Western Australia, Perth, Victoria, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Objective
Depression is an adverse outcome frequently seen in carers. With the increasing ageing population and reliance on informal carers, this study aims to identify factors associated with depression in carers in the older age group, using factors that have not been previously investigated.
Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 202 older carers using the Geriatric Depression scale, demographics, personality traits, attitudes to ageing and other carer characteristics.
Results
Increased hours spent caring and higher levels of neuroticism were all factors associated with depression. The care-recipient diagnosis, other personality traits, attitudes to ageing, leisure-physical activity (PA) and domestic-PA were not significantly associated with depression.
Conclusions
These findings have important implications for interventions to target at-risk carers. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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