Do Caregivers Decrease Depression in People With Disabilities? Cross-Sectional Analysis of a Chilean Population-Based Survey.

Objective: Although caregiver assistance is generally assumed to improve the mental health of individuals with disabilities, this relationship has not been evaluated using population-based data. This study was aimed at assessing the association between caregiver assistance and depression among individuals with disabilities in Chile in 2015. Methods: A cross-sectional secondary data analysis was conducted using data from the 2015 Second National Study on Disability (ENDISC II) in Chile. The primary outcome was depression diagnosed by a physician or health professional. The main exposure variable was caregiver assistance. Additional confounding variables were included in the analysis. Results: The analysis included data from 2610 individuals with disabilities. In the overall sample, caregiver assistance was not associated with depression. However, stratified analysis by disability severity showed that among individuals with severe disabilities, caregiver assistance was associated with a 27% reduction in the prevalence of depression (PR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.59-0.89), after adjusting for confounding variables. Conclusions: Among individuals with severe disabilities in Chile, caregiver assistance appears to reduce the likelihood of depression. Healthcare policies should promote and strengthen both formal and informal caregiving for this vulnerable population.