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Life events, depression and social support in dementia
Allyson Waite1, Paul Bebbington, Martin Skelton-Robinson
1Department of Psychology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow, UK. m.orrell@ucl.ac.uk
Objectives:
Recent research has highlighted the influence of psychosocial factors on the course of dementia, and previous studies have demonstrated an association between the experience of life events and depression. This study aimed to investigate the interrelationships between life events, depression and social support in people with dementia.
Design:
Participants were 72 people with dementia and their carers. Data were collected on severity of dementia, cognitive impairment, depression, life events and social support.
Results:
The results showed that 62% of people with dementia who had experienced a severely threatening and independent life event in the preceding 3 months were depressed, compared with only 28% of those people with dementia without such events (p = .005). No relationships were found between social support and depression in people with dementia.
Conclusions:
This study builds on previous research indicating that people with dementia who experience stressful life events have a higher risk of depression.