Liang Jiaming, Aranda Maria P, Jang Yuri, Wilber Kathleen H
School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States.
Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States.
Innov Aging. 2025 Jul 1;9(7):igaf073. doi: 10.1093/geroni/igaf073. eCollection 2025 Jul.
Caregiving for older adults often leads to increased social isolation and depression among primary caregivers. Secondary caregiver networks (SCNs) may provide crucial support, potentially mitigating these adverse outcomes. This study aimed to identify the SCN support patterns and examine their impacts on primary caregivers' social isolation and depression over 2 years, as well as potential differences in the associations by gender and race.
Data from the 2015 and 2017 National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) and National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) were used. Latent profile analysis identified distinct SCN support patterns. Mixed-effects models assessed associations between SCN patterns, social isolation, and depression.
Among 782 primary and 1,003 secondary caregivers, three SCN support patterns (low, medium, and high) were identified. Higher SCN support was associated with lower social isolation at baseline, but increased social isolation over time. Depression increased over time, but was not associated with SCN support. No significant gender and racial differences were found.
While SCN support initially reduces social isolation among primary caregivers, its effectiveness diminishes over time. The study highlights the necessity for continuous social and mental health support for primary caregivers, regardless of SCN support level, to better address the evolving demands of caregiving.
照顾老年人往往会导致主要照顾者的社会隔离感增强和抑郁情绪增加。二级照顾者网络（SCNs）可能提供关键支持，从而有可能减轻这些不良后果。本研究旨在确定SCNs的支持模式，并考察其在两年时间里对主要照顾者的社会隔离感和抑郁情绪的影响，以及不同性别和种族在这些关联上的潜在差异。
使用了2015年和2017年全国照顾者研究（NSOC）以及全国健康与老龄化趋势研究（NHATS）的数据。潜在剖面分析确定了不同的SCNs支持模式。混合效应模型评估了SCNs模式、社会隔离感和抑郁情绪之间的关联。
在782名主要照顾者和1003名二级照顾者中，确定了三种SCNs支持模式（低、中、高）。较高的SCNs支持在基线时与较低的社会隔离感相关，但随着时间推移社会隔离感会增加。抑郁情绪随时间增加，但与SCNs支持无关。未发现显著的性别和种族差异。
虽然SCNs支持最初会减少主要照顾者的社会隔离感，但其效果会随着时间推移而减弱。该研究强调，无论SCNs支持水平如何，都有必要为主要照顾者提供持续的社会和心理健康支持，以更好地应对照顾需求的不断变化。
