Optimal Well-being, Depression, and Caregiving: An Explorative Investigation

Recent studies documented the protective role of hedonic and psychological well-being for mental and physical health of aging individuals. However, the combination of these two dimensions of well-being (conceptualized as optimal well-being) has been rarely evaluated in association with providing caregiving. This exploratory investigation aimed to: (1) cluster a group of community dwellers according to levels of hedonic and psychological well-being (low well-being-LWB; moderate well-being-MWB; high well-being HWB); and (2) to identify their psychosocial correlates of their optimal well-being, including providing daily caregiving.

217 community dwellers (60-90 years) completed questionnaires concerning psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and caregivers' distress. They were classified into three groups (LWB, MWB, HWB), following a k mean cluster analysis. Chi-square and GLM were used to compare the three clusters. Regression analyses were performed to evaluate the correlates of hedonic and psychological well-being.

Fifty-two individuals belonged to the HWB cluster, 68 to the LWB cluster and 97 to the MWB cluster. Individuals in the LWB cluster showed higher levels of anxiety and depression, and 61 of them reported to provide caregiving. Members of the HWB cluster were the oldest. Psychological and hedonic well-being negatively correlated with depression and caregiving.

These results indicate that only a small proportion of community dwellers reported optimal well-being.

Addressing depression and alleviating caregiver distress may constitute ingredients for promoting optimal well-being among older community dwellers.