%0 Journal Article %J Am J Geriatr Psychiatry %D 2014 %T Does duration of spousal caregiving affect risk of depression onset? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study. %A Benjamin D Capistrant %A Lisa F Berkman %A M. Maria Glymour %K Aged %K Caregivers %K depression %K Female %K Health Surveys %K Humans %K Longitudinal Studies %K Male %K Middle Aged %K Retirement %K Risk Factors %K Spouses %K Time Factors %K United States %X

OBJECTIVES: To assess the association of current and long-term spousal caregiving with risk of depression in a nationally (U.S.) representative sample of older adults.

METHODS: We studied married and depression-free Health and Retirement Study respondents aged 50 years and older (n = 9,420) at baseline from 2000 to 2010. Current (≥14 hours per week of help with instrumental/activities of daily living for a spouse in the most recent biennial survey) and long-term caregiving (care at two consecutive surveys) were used to predict onset of elevated depressive symptoms (≥3 on a modified Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale) with discrete-time hazards models and time-updated exposure and covariate information.

RESULTS: Current caregiving was associated with significant elevations in risk of depression onset (hazard ratio: 1.64; Wald χ(2), 1 df: 28.34; p <0.0001). Effect estimates for long-term caregiving were similar (hazard ratio: 1.52, Wald χ(2), 1 df: 3.63; p = 0.06).

CONCLUSIONS: Current spousal caregiving significantly predicted onset of depression; the association was not exacerbated by longer duration of caregiving.

%B Am J Geriatr Psychiatry %I 22 %V 22 %P 766-70 %8 2014 Aug %G eng %N 8 %1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23791537?dopt=Abstract %2 PMC3785551 %4 Caregiving/depression/depressive symptoms/older adults/spouses/spousal caregiving %$ 999999 %R 10.1016/j.jagp.2013.01.073