EMOTIONAL CLOSENESS AND CAREGIVER BURDEN IN THE MARITAL RELATIONSHIP

Interviews with 131 older spouse caregivers were conducted, with the F ACES III used as a measure of closeness. In a multivariate regression analysis, closeness between caregiver and care receiver was found to b e the most important variable in predicting caregiver burden. The vari ables in this analysis explained 45% of the variance in caregiver burd en. Although it seldom is addressed in research or intervention litera ture, this relationship appears central to understanding the process o f caregiving.