An investigation of the relationship between perceived social support, support satisfaction and depression among working female caregivers
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between social support and depression in working women who are caregivers to the elderly. It was hypothesized that perceived support network size and satisfaction with social support would be inversely related to depression and that care receiver disability would be positively related to depression. Data were collected from 76 working women who were also caregivers. The subjects were between the ages of 23 and 69. Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory. Social support was measured using Barrera's (1981) ASSIS. Perceived support network size was found to be the best predictor of depression of the three hypotheses but it explained only 7% of the variance. Self-reported health and dementia accounted for 20% of the variance in caregiver depression. These results suggest that caregivers who report themselves to be in less than excellent health and who care for a mentally impaired elder are at risk for depression.
Subject Area
Social work|Gerontology|Womens studies
Recommended Citation
Mitchell, Margaret Lucretia, "An investigation of the relationship between perceived social support, support satisfaction and depression among working female caregivers" (1991). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI9203420.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI9203420
