Hostname: page-component-76d6cb85b7-92wsb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-07-17T03:59:23.398Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social support as a mediator variable of the relationship between depression and life satisfaction in a sample of Saudi caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 October 2016

Shatha Jamil Khusaifan  and
Mogeda El Sayed El Keshky
Shatha Jamil Khusaifan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Mogeda El Sayed El Keshky*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Mogeda E. El Keshky, Associat Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, King Abdulaziz University, PO. Box 42803, Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia. Phone: +966500353245; Fax: +9666400000 63422. Email: drmogeda@gmail.com, melkshky@kau.edu.sa.
Get access

Abstract

Background:

Caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is very challenging. Social support may play a crucial role in helping caregivers to adapt better to their caregiving role. The aim of this study is to explore the role of social support as a moderator variable of the relationship between depression and life satisfaction in caregivers for patients with AD in Saudi Arabia.

Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, 122 caregivers for patients with AD completed questionnaires assessing informal social support, depressive symptoms, and general life satisfaction.

Results:

The demographic characteristics showed that 79% (n = 96) of caregivers were females and between the ages of 20 and 50. Higher levels of social support positively correlated with reported higher levels of life satisfaction (r = 0.483, p < 0.001). Depression was negatively correlated with social support (r = −0.418, p < 0.001) and life satisfaction scores (r = −0.553, p = < 0.001). Social support was found to be a partial mediator variable, mediating approximately 23.05% of the total effect of depression on life satisfaction (Sobel = −3.065, p = 0.002).

Conclusion:

Informal social support can act as a mediator variable in the relationship of depression and life satisfaction in caregivers of AD patients. Improving the informal social support networks may help in coping with caregiving burden and better quality of life.

Keywords

family caregiverAlzheimer's diseasemoderator variablesocial supportdepressive symptomslife satisfaction

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , February 2017 , pp. 239 - 248
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Abyad, A. and Hammami, S. O. (2016). Reflection on Alzheimer's Care in the Middle East. Middle East Journal of Psychiatry and Alzheimer, 7 (1), 15–19.Google Scholar
Al Rajeh, S. et al. (1993). A community survey of neurological disorders in Saudi Arabia: the Thugbah study. Neuroepidemiology, 12, 164–178. doi: org/10.1159/000110316.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edn (pp. 553–557). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association. doi: org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.Google Scholar
Au, A., Lau, K., Koo, S., Cheung, G., Pan, P. and Wong, M. (2009). The effects of informal social support on depressive symptoms and life satisfaction in dementia caregivers in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Journal of Psychiatry, 19, 57–64.Google Scholar
Baron, R. and Kenny, D. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182. doi: org/10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173.Google Scholar
Clara, I. P., Cox, B., Enns, M., Murray, L. and Torgrudc, L. (2003). Confirmatory factor analysis of the multidimensional scale of perceived social support in clinically distressed and student samples. Journal of Personality Assessment, 81, 265–270. doi: 10.1207/S15327752JPA8103_09.Google Scholar
Diener, E., Emmons, R., Larsen, R. and Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75. doi: org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13.Google Scholar
Dozois, D., Dobson, K. and Ahnberg, J. (1998). A psychometric evaluation of the beck depression inventory–II. Psychological Assessment, 10, 83–89. doi: org/10.1037/1040-3590.10.2.83.Google Scholar
Draženka, O., Domagoj, V., Ana, B., Petrana, B. and Vlado, J. (2014). Prevalence of anxiety and depression in caregivers of Alzheimer's dementia patients. Acta Clinica Croatica, 53, 17–21.Google Scholar
Dudley, W. and Benuzillo, J. (2004). Program for testing mediation models. UCLA: Statistical Consulting Group. Available at: http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/spss/faq/mediation.htm; last accessed 24 October, 2015.Google Scholar
García-Alberca, J., Lara, J. and Berthier, M. (2011). Anxiety and depression in caregivers are associated with patient and caregiver characteristics in Alzheimer's disease. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 41, 57–69. doi: org/10.2190/PM.41.1.f.Google Scholar
Gozzoli, C., Giorgi, A. and D'Angelo, C. (2013). Protective factors for the well-being in caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's: the role of relational quality. Psychology, 4, 57–66. doi: org/10.4236/psych.2013.46a1009.Google Scholar
Haley, W. E., Brown, S. L. and Levine, E. G. (1987). Experimental evaluation of the effectiveness of group intervention for dementia caregivers. The Gerontologist, 27, 377–383. doi: 10.1093/geront/27.3.376.Google Scholar
Kaufman, A., Kosberg, J., Leeper, J. and Tang, M. (2010). Social support, caregiver burden, and life satisfaction in a sample of rural African American and white caregivers of older persons with dementia. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 53, 251–269. doi: org/10.1080/01634370903478989.Google Scholar
Mahoney, R., Regan, C., Katona, C. and Livingston, G. (2005). Anxiety and depression in family caregivers of people with Alzheimer disease: the LASER-AD study. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 13, 795–801. doi: org/10.1097/00019442-200509000-00008.Google Scholar
Ministry of Health – Saudi Arabia (2012). Health Statistics Annual Book. Riyadh: Ministry of Health. Available at: http://www.moh.gov.sa/en/Ministry/Statistics/book/Pages/default.aspx; last accessed 30 June 2016].Google Scholar
Ministry of Health Portal (2013). Health Awareness Day. Available at: http://www.moh.gov.sa/en/HealthAwareness/healthDay/2013/Pages/HealthDay-019.aspx; last accessed 25 October 2015.Google Scholar
Mittelman, M., Roth, D., Coon, D. and Haley, W. (2004). Sustained benefit of supportive intervention for depressive symptoms in caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161, 850–856. doi: org/10.1176/appi.ajp.161.5.850.Google Scholar
Pavot, W. and Diener, E. (1993). Review of the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Psychological Assessment, 5, 164–172. doi: org/10.1037/1040-3590.5.2.164.Google Scholar
Pedersen, S., Yagensky, A., Smith, O., Yagenska, O., Shpak, V. and Denollet, J. (2009). Preliminary evidence for the cross-cultural utility of the type D personality construct in the Ukraine. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 16, 108–115. doi: 10.1007/s12529-008- 9022-4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piercy, K. W. et al. (2012). Predictors of dementia caregiver depressive symptoms in a population: the cache county dementia progression study. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbs116.Google Scholar
Qureshi, N. A., Al-Habeeb, , A. A. and Koenig, H. G. (2013). Mental health system in Saudi Arabia: an overview. Journal of Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 9, 1121–1135. doi: org/10.2147/NDT.S48782.Google Scholar
Riedel, S., Fredman, L. and Langenberg, P. (1998). Associations among caregiving difficulties, burden, and rewards in caregivers to older post-rehabilitation patients. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 53, 165–174. doi: org/10.1093/geronb/53B.1.P4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rodriguez, G., De Leo, C., Girtler, N., Vitali, P., Grossi, E. and Nobili, F. (2003). Psychological and social aspects in management of Alzheimer's patients: an inquiry among caregivers. Neurological Sciences, 24, 329–335. doi: org/10.1007/s10072-003-0184-1.Google Scholar
Romero-Moreno, R., Márquez-González, M., Mausbach, B. and Losada, A. (2011). Variables modulating depression in dementia caregivers: a longitudinal study. International Psychogeriatrics, 24, 1316–1324. doi: org/10.1017/S1041610211002237.Google Scholar
Samadi, R., Mokhber, N., Faridhosseini, F., Baghban Haghighi, M. and Assari, S. (2015). Anxiety, depression, and spirituality among caregivers of patients with Alzheimer disease. International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health, 3, 29–35.Google Scholar
Sansoni, J., Anderson, K. H., Varona, L. M. and Varela, G. (2013). Caregivers of Alzheimer's patients and factors influencing institutionalization of loved ones: some considerations on existing literature. Annali di igiene, 25, 235–246. doi: 10.7416/ai.2013.1926.Google Scholar
Sobel, M. (1982). Asymptotic confidence intervals for indirect effects in structural equation models. Sociological Methodology, 13, 290–312. doi: 10.2307/270723.Google Scholar
Vespa, A. et al. (2015). Evaluation of anxiety and depression in caregivers of patients affected by Alzheimer's disease. Advances in Alzheimer's Disease, 4, 15–20. doi: org/10.4236/aad.2015.42003.Google Scholar
Wang, X., Cai, L., Qian, J. and Peng, J. (2014). Social support moderates stress effects on depression. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 8, 41. doi: 10.1186/1752-4458-8-41.Google Scholar
Yurtsever, S., Özge, A., Kara, A., Yandım, A., Kalav, S. and Yeşil, P. (2013). The relationship between care burden and social support in Turkish Alzheimer patients family caregivers: cross-sectional study. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 3. doi: org/10.5430/jnep.v3n9p1.Google Scholar
Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G. and Farley, G. K. (1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52, 30–41. doi: org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2.Google Scholar