Our objective was to determine which factors contribute to depression symptoms or increased burden in caregivers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. The five factors assessed were financial status, social support, employment status, religious denomination, and patient disease severity. A prospective, cross-sectional study of 50 caregivers was performed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Zarit-Burden Interview (ZBI), a demographic survey, and patient ALS functional rating scale, revised (ALSFRS-R) scores. Younger age, female gender, higher financial burden, type of religious denomination, and longer daily hours spent both with the patient and caregiving were associated with BDI scores, indicating they are significant risk factors for depression symptoms. Both younger age and the daily hours spent caregiving, as well as being employed and having less social support, were associated with ZBI scores and higher burden. Adequate social support was the only protective factor in caregivers' lives, having an association with lower burden levels. There was no statistically significant association between a caregiver's BDI or ZBI score and patient ALSFRS-R scores. In conclusion, we identified factors associated with depression symptoms and increased burden in ALS caregivers. Interventions should be designed to target the modifiable factors in order to prevent depression symptoms and minimize burden in caregivers at risk.
Keywords: ALS; burden; caregivers; depression.