Family caregivers who sought help to increase their coping skills (N = 158) and caregivers who volunteered for a longitudinal study of Alzheimer's disease (N = 58) were screened for depression. Among help-seekers, 46% had depression according to Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC), but among non-help-seekers, only 18% met this criterion. In general, women were more depressed than men, but no major differences in the extent of depression were found in those who cared for more impaired persons.

This study assessed the relationships between six different types of social support and five measures of caregiving burden. Two questions were addressed: Are all types of social support equally associated with burden, and do the same types of support correlate with different types of burden? Family caregivers (N = 217) to frail elders composed the sample. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that all types of social support for caregivers of frail elders are not equal. Engaging in social interaction for fun and recreation appears to be the most important in diminishing the burden of caregiving. These findings are instructive both theoretically and clinically. The theoretical import of greater social participation under a condition of chronic stress is discussed. Further, interventions that focus on caregivers regularly experiencing pleasant activity with friends and other family would seem to go a long way toward managing the burden of caregiving.

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