• Paul A Pirraglia, Duane Bishop, Debra S Herman, Elizabeth Trisvan, Rosalie A Lopez, Christopher S Torgersen, Ann Marie Van Hof, Bradley J Anderson, Ivan Miller, and Michael D Stein.
• Division of General Internal Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI 02903, USA. ppirraglia@lifespan.org
• J Gen Intern Med. 2005 Jun 1; 20 (6): 510514510-4.

BackgroundFew studies have examined the factors associated with depression in informal caregivers of HIV-infected persons.ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between depression and caregiver burden among informal caregivers of HIV-infected individuals.DesignCross-sectional study using baseline data from an ongoing randomized trial of a supportive telephone intervention.ParticipantsOne hundred seventy-six dyads of HIV patients and their informal caregiver.MeasurementsDepression was defined as a Beck Depression Inventory >10. A Caregiver Strain Index >6 identified informal caregivers with a high caregiver burden. We used logistic regression to identify characteristics that were associated with depression in the informal caregiver.ResultsInformal caregivers were 42 years old (SD, 13), 53% female, 59% nonwhite, and 30% had education beyond high school. Forty-seven percent of informal caregivers were the patient's partner, 18% a friend, and 35% a family member. Twenty-seven percent of informal caregivers had a high caregiver burden, and 50% were depressed. We found significantly greater odds of informal caregiver depression with high caregiver burden (OR, 6.08; 95% CI, 2.40 to 15.4), informal caregiver medical comorbidity besides HIV (OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.09 to 4.92), spending all day together (OR, 3.92; 95% CI, 1.59 to 9.69), having to help others besides the HIV patient (OR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.14 to 5.74), and duration of the HIV patient's diagnosis (OR, 1.01 per month; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.01).ConclusionsHigh caregiver burden was strongly associated with depression among HIV-infected individuals' informal caregivers, who themselves had difficult life circumstances. Informal caregivers of HIV patients may be in need of both mental health services and assistance in caregiving.

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