Depression

Aims and objectives. To investigate anxiety in informal carers of stroke survivors in the first three months after discharge. Background. Informal carers, also called caregivers, play a vital role in supporting stroke survivors. However, caring for stroke survivors can have adverse consequences amongst carers such as burden, stress and reduced quality of life. Emotional distress is also commonly reported but anxiety has received less attention than depression. Design. Prospective, longitudinal, descriptive study. Method.

Objectives: To prospectively investigate the impact of transitions in informal caregiving on emotional well-being over two years in a large population study of older people.

The influence of substance use on patient's needs and caregiving consequences has received insufficient research attention. We sought to determine whether patients with comorbid substance use have higher levels of need, anxiety, depression, and caregiving consequences than those of patients who do not use substances. A total of 520 patients participated, and those who used substances (n = 216) reported higher levels of unmet needs, anxiety, and caregiving consequences than did patients who did not use substances.

Background: Little evidence is available about how quality of life (QoL) changes as dementia progresses.

Objectives: We explored QoL trajectories over a 20-month period and examined what predicted change in QoL.

In the present meta-analysis, we integrated findings from 228 studies on the association of six caregiving-related stressors and caregiving uplifts with burden and depressed mood. Care recipients' behavior problems showed stronger associations with caregiver outcomes than other stressors did. The size of the relationships varied by sample characteristics: Amount of care provided and care receivers' physical impairments were less strongly related to burden and depression for dementia caregivers than for caregivers of nondemented older adults.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical and psychological effects on informal caregivers of looking after a person with Alzheimer’s disease. A descriptive survey was conducted in counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon in Ireland using a simple random sample of caregivers registered with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, Galway, or the Western Alzheimer’s Foundation. The findings from the study show that a significant proportion of caregivers reported poor self-rated health and depression. Restless sleep and a decreased tolerance for pain were also common.

Two studies examined autobiographical remembering in those with HIV (Study 1) and in carers of those with HIV (Study 2) in Iran. Study 1 investigated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms, executive control, and autobiographical remembering in those with HIV. Individuals with HIV (n = 34) and healthy controls (n = 34) completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Beck's Depression Inventory-II, Beck's Anxiety Inventory, Autobiographical Memory Interview, Autobiographical Memory Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Tower of London.

Research has highlighted the influence of psychosocial factors on the wellbeing of carers of people with dementia. This study aimed to investigate the interrelationships between life events, depression and social support in carers of people with dementia. Participants were 72 carers of people with dementia. They were interviewed using the Bedford College Life Events and Difficulties Schedule and the Geriatric Depression Scale. The results showed that 31 (43%) of carers were depressed.

Background: Depression in informal caregivers of persons with dementia is a major, costly and growing problem. However, it is not yet clear which caregivers are at increased risk of developing depression. With this knowledge preventive strategies could focus on these groups to maximize health gain and minimize effort.