Ambivalence and guilt feelings: Two relevant variables for understanding caregivers' depressive symptomatology

Abstract

Providing care for a relative with dementia is considered to be a chronic stressor that has been linked to negative mental health consequences for caregivers. A theoretical model was developed and tested to assess the degree to which ambivalence and guilt feelings contribute to caregivers' depressive symptomatology. Participants included 212 dementia family caregivers. In addition to ambivalence and guilt feelings, sociodemographic characteristics, behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia, and depressive symptomatology were assessed. Hypotheses derived from the stress and coping model were tested using path analysis. The analysed model showed an excellent fit to the data. In total, 35% of the variance in depressive symptomatology was explained by the assessed variables. Although significant correlations were obtained between frequency and appraisal of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia and depression, the obtained model suggests that this effect was mediated through ambivalence. In addition, ambivalence had an indirect effect on depression. The association of ambivalence with depression was explained through feelings of guilt; that is, respondents who reported ambivalent feelings were more likely to experience guilt, leading in turn to greater depressive symptomatology. The findings suggest that dementia caregivers' ambivalence and guilt feelings are relevant for understanding their depressive symptomatology. These factors should be addressed in psychological interventions with caregivers.

Guilt in Adult Mother–Child Relationships: Connections to Intergenerational Ambivalence and Support

“…This is a new finding in the existing literature on intergenerational ambivalence. One earlier small-scale study found an effect of ambivalence on guilt as well but without controlling for the main effects of negative and positive feelings (Losada et al, 2018).…”

“…In so far as guilt reduces well-being, it may also be relevant in understanding the presumed effect of intergenerational ambivalence on well-being. People who have conflicting emotions about their parents or children may have lower emotional well-being in part because they feel guilty about having these feelings (Losada et al 2018).…”

“…Health measures were also not available but maternal age should at least cover some of the health effects. Past caregiving studies have shown that severe health problems on the part of parents can coincide with feelings of ambivalence and guilt (Losada et al, 2018) but this is a more specific topic that cannot be addressed very well in the LISS survey. For the adult child, the following characteristics are used: the gender of the child, whether the child lives with a partner and whether the child is separated (never-separated single persons are the reference category), if the child has children, the child's level of education and whether a child is employed.…”

“…A quantitative study of a local random probability sample in Germany (N = 275) examined the determinants of guilt and found that adult children experienced guilt more often if they had little contact with their parents, if they had authoritarian parents, and if their parents had mental health problems (Boll & Filipp, 2002). Finally, a recent analysis of a small and select sample of caregivers of dement family members in Spain (N = 212) found a positive and significant correlation between feelings of guilt toward parents and feelings of ambivalence (Losada et al, 2018).…”

Feelings of Guilt in the Family: The Case of Divorced Parents

“…There is also research on the guilt problem that some working mothers experience when combining a demanding professional job with the raising of their children (Guendouzi 2006;Henderson et al 2016). Some studies have examined the guilt that adult children feel toward their ageing and ill parents (Boll and Filipp 2002;Losada et al 2018). A recent study showed that adult children's feelings of guilt toward their mother are associated with feelings of ambivalence, with imbalances in support exchange, and with norms of filial responsibility (Kalmijn 2018).…”