EFFECT OF SUPPORT GROUPS ON FAMILY CAREGIVERS TO THE FRAIL ELDERLY

This paper reports on a project aimed at creating support groups for c aregivers of the frail elderly and assessing their impact on participa nts. The effect evaluation was based on a quasi-experimental design wi th repeated measures (n = 120). The results show that participation in support groups did not lower the caregivers' subjective burden, and i ndeed contributed to its increase. Conversely, such participation appe ars to have had a stabilizing effect on their level of depressive symp toms. Both these effects, reported at the end of the support group exp erience, persisted three months later. Various possible explanations o f these contradictory results are discussed.