Predictors of social support and caregiver outcomes

Purpose: This study identified predictors of caregiver's burden, satisfaction, depression, and social support. Little has been done to identify predictors of social support for caregivers at risk for negative outcomes. Design: Correlational descriptive study. Methods: A subset of interview data from a larger intervention study was utilized. Independent variables were caregiver/care-recipient characteristics and social support. Dependent variables included caregiver burden, satisfaction, depression, anxiety, and hostility. Results: Eighty-one caregiver/care-recipient dyads from the community participated in this study. Caregivers were women with a mean age of 67.53 years (range 39-86). Difficulty arranging assistance from confidante or friends correlated significantly and positively with caregiver burden (r = .38; p <.001) and depression (r = .34; p = .002), and negatively with satisfaction (r = -.28; p = .013). Findings/Implications: Arranging assistance is more important than frequency of social network contact with respect to burden and depression. The findings indicate a need for further investigation and the consideration of interventions for at risk caregivers.