# The Role of Sources of Informal Care on Depressive Symptoms in Older Mexican Americans

## TL;DR

This study explores how different sources of informal care affect depressive symptoms in older Mexican Americans, emphasizing the benefits of family care.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into how self-care and family care reduce depressive symptoms compared to non-family care in older Mexican Americans.

## Key findings

- Self-care significantly reduces depressive symptoms in older Mexican Americans.
- Family care also reduces depressive symptoms, while non-family care increases them.
- The findings suggest the importance of family-centered caregiving for mental health.

## Abstract

Research on informal caregiving has focused on caregivers, with less attention paid to how caregiving relationships impact care recipients’ mental health. Understanding how different sources of care influence depressive symptoms is crucial for designing more effective, culturally appropriate interventions for older adults.

We used data from the seventh wave of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE; n = 760). We examined the association between depressive symptoms and sources of care for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) disability in older Mexican Americans aged 80+. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CESD) scale. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to model the relationship between depressive symptoms and care sources, adjusting for demographic and health covariates.

The average CESD score among care recipients was 10.71. Sources of care include 45% self-care, 67% family care, and 22% non-family care. Regression analysis showed that self-care significantly reduced depressive symptoms (−4.41, p ≤ .01), family care reduced symptoms (−1.98, p ≤ .01), while non-family care increased depressive symptoms (4.03, p ≤ .01).

Findings highlight the importance of family-centered caregiving and suggest key policy implications: implementation of caregiver skills training, peer support groups, and targeted mental health resources.