New research from the University of Texas at Austin suggests that taking on the role of caregiver for an ailing family member may fend off the dark clouds of depression rather than summon them.
The study, shining a light in the journal Advances in Life Course Research, delves deep into the emotional roller coaster of caring for an aging parent or spouse. It turns out that the stress of watching a loved one's health decline is the real downer, while slipping into the caregiver's shoes could be a buffer against depression. Depression in adult caregivers is more likely triggered by their loved one's health woes than caregiving itself, according to The University of Texas at Austin.
Assistant Professor Sae Hwang Han from UT's Department of Human Development and Family Sciences took the lead on this eyebrow-raising paper. "Decades of research on this topic indicate that there are positive and negative aspects to being a caregiver," Han pointed out in a statement obtained by UT News.
