Attributional styles are associated with care burden in geriatric depression: older adults and their caregivers in Taiwan.

Background: Given the rising prevalence of depression among older adults and the associated increase in caregiving responsibilities, understanding factors influencing caregiver burden is crucial. Previous research has not extensively explored the impact of caregivers' attributional styles, that is, how individuals interpret the causes of life events, on their care burden.

Aim: This study examined the relationship between caregivers' attributional styles and their care burden for older patients with depression.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled older adults aged ≥ 65 years diagnosed with depression and their caregivers. Depression was diagnosed according to the DSM-V criteria for Major Depressive Disorder or Persistent Depressive Disorder. Caregivers completed the Chinese Depression Caregiver Burden Scale (CDCBS) to assess care burden, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) to evaluate patient symptom severity, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) for measuring caregivers' depression, and the Chinese Depression Patient Caregiver Attribution Style Scale (CDPCAS) to assess attributional styles. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to identify the factors independently associated with the caregiver's subjectively assessed care burden.

Results: The sample included 146 caregivers of geriatric patients with depression. Most depression patients were women (74.7%) with a mean age of 74.3 years, whereas the mean age of caregivers was 57.7 years. Hierarchical regression analysis identified that caregivers' gender (β = - 0.14, p = .044), educational level (β = 0.19, p = .008), caregivers' own depression assessed by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (β = 0.41, p < .001), and attributional styles, particularly manipulation (β = 0.29, p < .001) and illness/stress attributional style (β = 0.23, p = .002) as independent factors associated with care burden. Patient symptom severity assessed using the Hamilton Depression Scale was not significantly correlated with care burden after controlling for attributional styles.

Conclusions: Certain attributional styles, particularly the manipulation and illness/stress attributional styles, significantly increased self-reported care burden. These findings highlight the need for educational resources to change the attribution style, along with support systems and accessible mental health services for caregivers to potentially ease the care burden.

(© 2024. The Author(s).)