Caregiver Burden, Care Recipient Depressive Symptomology, and Social Exchange

• DOI: 10.1177/0825859718758120
• Publication Date: 2018-03-08T04:45:03Z
• Authors: Deborah Ejem; Shawn Bauldry; Marie Bakitas; Patricia Drentea
• Keywords: Caregiver Burden; Association (psychology)

Informal caregivers play a vital role in supporting seriously ill patients. However, informal caregiving is burdensome and can lead to negative health outcomes for the caregiver care recipient. The study’s aim was evaluate relationships among burden, recipient depressive symptomology, race. Guided by social exchange perspective, we examined cross-sectional dyadic data from National Long-Term Care Survey (N = 1279). Using ordinal logistic regression, found that higher caregiver-reported objective burden associated with symptoms ( P < .05), an association stronger blacks. Interestingly, despite significant levels of there between lower black recipients when good “helpful company” caregiver. These findings illustrate importance reciprocal as promising component maintaining balanced caregiver–care older adults their caregivers.