A study of the relationship between social support, caregiving experience and depressed mood of family caregivers of home-dwelling older adults with disability- - a cross-sectional study

作者：Qianqian Yu, Lingfeng Xu, Lifang Zhou, Xing-Zhi Jiang, Na Xu, Zihan Lang, Yixuan Wu, Chengliang Yin · 发表于：BMC Public Health · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12889-025-22276-4 · 被引用次数：16 · 研究领域：Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving、Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research、Health disparities and outcomes

BACKGROUND: Population aging in China has intensified psychological challenges for family caregivers. This study investigates the relationships among social support, caregiving experiences, and depressed mood in family caregivers of home-dwelling older adults with disabilities, aiming to provide theoretical guidance for enhancing caregivers' physical and mental well-being and optimizing home-based care services. METHODS: A random sample of 494 family caregivers from three districts in a specified city was surveyed. Data included demographics of family caregivers and care recipients, scores from the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS), Zarit Burden Interview Scale (ZBI), Positive Aspects of Caregiving Scale (PAC), and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 10). Statistical analyses comprised t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and stratified linear regression. RESULTS: Mean scores for social support, positive caregiving experience, caregiving burden, and depressed mood were 28.62 ± 5.82, 32.01 ± 6.13, 34.59 ± 18.41, and 8.22 ± 5.96, respectively. Depressed mood scores varied significantly with family caregivers' education, self-rated health, and care recipients' disability severity (P < 0.01). Social support was negatively correlated with both caregiving burden and depressed mood (P < 0.01), and positively correlated with positive caregiving experience (P < 0.01). Positive caregiving experience was negatively associated with caregiving burden and depressed ...