Social support and well-being in dementia family caregivers: the mediating role of self-efficacy.

OBJECTIVES The study investigated self-efficacy as a possible mediator of the relationship between the social support and depressive symptoms of primarily informal caregivers, mainly family members, of patients with dementia in Hong Kong. METHOD One hundred and thirty-four caregivers were interviewed. Path analyses were conducted using a self-efficacy scale that consists of three subscales assessing three domains of caregiving self-efficacy. Self-efficacy for obtaining respite, responding to disruptive patient behaviours, and controlling upsetting thoughts about caregiving were measured. RESULTS Results showed that self-efficacy acted as a partial mediator between social support and depressive symptoms of these caregivers. CONCLUSION Findings suggest that self-efficacy may function as a mechanism through which social support influences depressive symptoms, and the importance of this self-efficacy mechanism can be domain-specific.