THE ETIOLOGY OF DEPRESSION IN THE CARERS OF DEMENTIA SUFFERERS

Objective: To examine the associations of depression in the carers of dementia sufferers, diagnosed on the basis of a semistructured intervi ew. Design: Case control study. Setting: Referrals to clinical service s. Subjects: The informal carers of 109 dementia sufferers, 32 with de pression and 77 without. Measures: Carers were interviewed using the G eriatric Mental State Schedule. The diagnosis of depression was made a ccording to Research Diagnostic Criteria. Instruments used to assess a ssociations included Carers' Stress Scale, Marital Intimacy Scale, Cor nell Depression Scale and CAMCOG Schedule. Results: Only increasing ag e was significantly associated with depression in the overall group of carers. The severity of cognitive impairment was significantly associ ated with depression in carers who lived with a dementia sufferer and a low level of premorbid marital intimacy was significantly associated with depression amongst carers who were marital partners. Conclusion: Few factors are clearly associated with depression in the carers of d ementia sufferers. The pattern of associations was, however, different for carers in different situations.