Abstract
The authors compared depression levels between older Mexican American caregivers and noncaregivers while controlling for confounds identified but not controlled in past research. Mexican American caregivers and noncaregivers (N = 114) ages 65 and older were matched on age, gender, socioeconomic status, self-reported health, and acculturation. Caregivers reported higher scores on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) and were more likely to score in the depressed range than noncaregivers. In a regression model with all participants, group classification (caregiver vs. noncaregiver) and health significantly predicted CES-D scores. A model with only caregivers that included caregiver burden, self-rated health, and gender significantly predicted CES-D scores, with only caregiver burden entering the regression equation. These results suggest that older Mexican American caregivers are more depressed than noncaregivers, as has been found in younger populations.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 50-58 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2010 |
Keywords
- Mexican American caregivers
- caregiver versus noncaregiver
- caregiving
- depression
- minority caregiver
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Sociology and Political Science