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The Impact of Family Environment and Decision-Making Satisfaction on Caregiver Depression

A Path Analytic Model

Case Western Reserve University

Virginia L. Smerglia, MA

University of Akron

Michael L. Schaefer, MA

Case Western Reserve University

Objectives: This research examines caregiver depression in the context of traditional care-related primary stressors, such as the caregiving context and care-recipient impairment, and secondary stressors, such as family environment and decisionmaking satisfaction. Methods: The authors examine a causal (path) model of depression among 244 caregivers. Ordinary least squares regression results are used to determine the direct and indirect effects of stressors on caregiver depression. Results: The path coefficients obtained show that adaptability and conflict have the most powerful net effects. With the caregiving context variables, they explain approximately 30% of the variance in decision-making satisfaction. Family adaptability and decision-making satisfaction also have significant paths. The caregiving context, network, family environment, and decision-making variables explain approximately 25% of the variance in caregiver depression. Discussion: These findings suggest that practitioners working with caregivers to ameliorate depression need to examine the broader aspects of family environment and caregiver perceptions related to decision making.

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