Partner effects on caregiver and care recipient depressed mood: heterogeneity across health condition and relationship type

The well-being of caregivers and their care recipients is interrelated, although conflicting evidence has emerged across different caregiving populations. Using data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study and the National Study of Caregiving (2015 and 2017, n = 742 dyads), we constructed actor-partner interdependence models assessing how spillover (i.e., interdependence) of depressed mood varied by care recipient health condition (specifically cancer, dementia, stroke, and diabetes) and kinship type (spouse/partner, child, other relative, or non-relative). Across condition types, care recipient-to-caregiver partner effects were significantly larger in dyads with vs. without cancer and significantly smaller in dyads with vs. without diabetes (p_interactions < .05). Substantive differences in partner effects were observed by kinship type, although moderation was not statistically significant. The findings highlight potential heterogeneity in caregiver-care recipient interdependence with implications for future research and delivery of supportive care.