Caregiver Mental Health and Sociodemographic Factors Associated with the Burden of Care in Taiwan Among Primary Caregivers of Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Caregivers of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) frequently experience significant mental health and social burdens, yet evidence among Asian caregivers remains limited. This study aimed to identify factors associated with caregiver burden in the Taiwanese population. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 150 caregiver-patient pairs was conducted in a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Taiwan. Caregiver burden, common mental symptoms, and depressive symptoms were assessed using validated instruments. Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were performed to determine factors related to total and subdomain caregiver burden. Results: Caregivers reported a mild to moderate level of burden, with the highest index score in caregiver strain, and lowest in stigma. Both common mental symptoms and depressive symptoms were significantly correlated with total burden. Regression analyses showed that caregiver educational attainment and depressive symptoms were the strongest factors related to total burden, together explaining 43.7% of the variance. Depression severity also emerged as the key factor across several burden subdomains. Conclusion: Caregivers of MDD patients experience meaningful levels of burden, largely influenced by their mental health status, particularly depressive symptoms. These findings emphasize the need for targeted mental health assessment and supportive interventions to reduce caregiver burden and promote caregiver well-being.