Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 7, 2026

A New Method for Inducing a Depression-Like Behavior in Rats
Published on: February 22, 2018
Factors associated with depression in older carers
Samantha M Loi1,2,3, Briony Dow2, Kirsten Moore2
1Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Kew, Victoria, Australia.
Objective:
Depression is an adverse outcome frequently seen in carers. With the increasing ageing population and reliance on informal carers, this study aims to identify factors associated with depression in carers in the older age group, using factors that have not been previously investigated.
Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 202 older carers using the Geriatric Depression scale, demographics, personality traits, attitudes to ageing and other carer characteristics.
Results:
Increased hours spent caring and higher levels of neuroticism were all factors associated with depression. The care-recipient diagnosis, other personality traits, attitudes to ageing, leisure-physical activity (PA) and domestic-PA were not significantly associated with depression.
Conclusions:
These findings have important implications for interventions to target at-risk carers.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...
Depression: Overview
Psychological and Sociocultural Causes of Schizophrenia
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Depressive Disorders: MDD and Dysthymia
Long-term Depression

