A HIDDEN STRUGGLE: UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF BEREAVEMENT AFTER CAREGIVING ENDS - Poster Session 7475 - Family Caregiving IV

Sep 29, 2026

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Up to 20% of dementia caregivers experience complicated grief and depressive symptoms after the care recipient dies. Using the 2023 BRFSS, caregivers were classified as recently bereaved (n=77) versus current caregivers (n=11233) based on whether their care recipient died within the past 30 days. Independent samples t-tests showed recently bereaved caregivers reported more poor mental health days per month and differed in lifetime depression incidence, while physical health days did not significantly differ. Post hoc analyses evaluate moderators and suggest expanding grief-support programs to reduce mental health challenges after caregiving ends.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Overview and Background

Study Design and Data Source

Group Definitions

Key Findings: Mental Health

Key Findings: Depression Incidence

Key Findings: Physical Health Days

Interpretation and Implications

FAQs

What question did the study investigate about caregivers after a death?

It examined how mental and physical health differ between recently bereaved caregivers and current caregivers after the death of the care recipient.

How were caregivers categorized for comparison?

Using the 2023 BRFSS, caregivers were classified as recently bereaved if the care recipient died within the past 30 days, versus current caregivers.

What were the main results regarding mental health and depression?

Recently bereaved caregivers reported more poor mental health days and showed a lower incidence of lifetime depression than non-bereaved caregivers, while physical health days did not significantly differ.

What do the findings suggest for support programs?

They suggest expanding programs to assist recently bereaved caregivers with grief to alleviate mental health challenges, especially given the lack of available interventions.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Fans