Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42902165›Full record

ArticleBMC geriatrics2026

Caring while aging: a cross-sectional study in Lebanon on caregiver burden, mental health, and the moderating effects of social and financial resources.

Monique Chaaya, Sawsan Abdulrahim, Aya El Sammak, Alexandra Abi Nassif, Mayssan Kabalan, Suzanne Charbaji, Patricia Arkhondis, LSAHA Research Group, Abla M Sibai, Carlos F de Leon Mendes

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Article in BMC geriatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Monique ChaayaDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. mchaaya@aub.edu.lb.
Sawsan AbdulrahimDepartment of Health Promotion and Community Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Aya El SammakDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. ae158@aub.edu.lb.
Alexandra Abi NassifDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Mayssan KabalanDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Suzanne CharbajiDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Patricia ArkhondisDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
LSAHA Research Group
Abla M Sibai *Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Carlos F de Leon Mendes *Department of Global Health, Georgetown University School of Health, Washington, DC, USA.

Funding

Dementia and Related Health and Social Challenges in Lebanon: A Population StudyR01AG069016 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI MENDES DE LEON, CARLOS F. · 2020 to 2024
$3.6M
National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute on Aging (NIA) R01AG069016NIA NIH HHS R01 AG069016
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA growing number of older adults provide care for spouses or relatives, yet the mental health impact of caregiving, particularly while managing their own health conditions, remains poorly understood. In Lebanon, where formal long-term care services remain limited and caregiving is largely family-based, there is a need to better understand how caregiver burden affects the mental health of older adult caregivers. Therefore, this study examined the association between caregiver burden and mental health among older adult caregivers in Lebanon and the moderating role of social and financial resources.

methodsWe used baseline data from the Lebanon Study on Aging and HeAlth (LSAHA), a community-based prospective study of older adults aged ≥ 60 years, which included 434 caregivers. Multivariable linear regression models examined associations between caregiver burden (12-item Zarit Burden Interview) and depression (eight-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) and anxiety (seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale), with interaction terms testing the moderating effects of social (emotional and instrumental support) and financial resources.

resultsCaregivers were predominantly female (61.8%), with a mean age of 69 years (± 6.9), and one-third cared for their spouse (33.5%). Those with high caregiver burden, reported by 36.4%, had depression scores that were 7.65 points higher (95% CI: 3.48 to 11.8) and anxiety scores that were 2.84 points higher (95% CI: 0.73 to 4.95) compared to caregivers with low burden. Emotional support significantly attenuated the association between caregiver burden and depression. Financial resources did not moderate the association between caregiver burden and mental health outcomes.

conclusionsThis study underscores the public health need for addressing caregiver burden and mental health among understudied older caregivers. Although financial assistance, psychosocial services, and respite care have reduced caregiver burden in other settings, context-specific services and policies in Lebanon warrant evaluation. Future research should account for care recipients' characteristics and the multidimensional nature of social and financial resources.

Indexed as

AgingCaregiver BurdenCaregiversCost of IllnessMental HealthSocial SupportAgedCross-Sectional StudiesDepressionFemaleHumansLebanonMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesAnxietyCaregiver burdenDepressionLebanonLMICMental healthOlder adultsSocial support

Identifiers

PMID42902165
PMCPMC13681922

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.