Does wisdom moderate the relationship between burden and depressive symptoms among family caregivers of disabled older adults in China? A multiple-group path analysis

Abstract

Objectives: The present study investigated the moderator role of multidimensional wisdom (i.e. individuals’ positive personality traits) on the association between caregiver burden and depressive symptoms among family caregivers of disabled older adults in China.

Method: A quota sampling was used to recruit 789 pairs of disabled older adults and their primary family caregivers in Shanghai, China, in 2013. Multiple-group path analysis was used to test the proposed model.

Results: Cognitive, reflective, and affective wisdom were found to moderate the association between burden and depressive symptoms. The association was statistically significant among those with relatively low levels of cognitive, reflective, and affective wisdom. These associations, however, were found to be statistically nonsignificant among those with relatively high levels of cognitive, reflective, and affective wisdom.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the important role of multidimensional wisdom in the underlying mechanisms of family caregiving from the perspective of the stress process model. Policy and intervention implications are discussed.