Roberto Bernabeu-Mora, Gloria García-Guillamón, Joaquina Montilla-Herrador, Pilar Escolar-Reina, José Antonio García-Vidal, Francesc Medina-Mirapeix

Hospitalization is common for acute exacerbation of COPD, but little is known about its impact on the mental health of caregivers. The aim of this study was to determine the rates and predictors of depressive symptoms in caregivers at the time of hospitalization for acute exacerbation of COPD and to identify the probability and predictors of subsequent changes in depressive status 3 months after discharge. This was a prospective study. Depression symptoms were measured in 87 caregivers of patients hospitalized for exacerbation at hospitalization and 3 months after discharge. We measured factors from four domains: context of care, caregiving demands, caregiver resources, and patient characteristics. Univariate and multivariate multiple logistic regressions were used to determine the predictors of depression at hospitalization and subsequent changes at 3 months. A total of 45 caregivers reported depression at the time of hospitalization. After multiple adjustments, spousal relationship, dyspnea, and severe airflow limitation were the strongest independent predictors of depression at hospitalization. Of these 45 caregivers, 40% had a remission of their depression 3 months after discharge. In contrast, 16.7% of caregivers who were not depressive at hospitalization became depressive at 3 months. Caregivers caring >20 hours per week for patients with dependencies had decreased odds of remission, and patients having dependencies after discharge increased the odds of caregivers becoming depressed. Depressive symptoms are common among caregivers when patients are hospitalized for exacerbation of COPD. Although illness factors are determinants of depression at hospitalization, patient dependence determines fluctuations in the depressive status of caregivers.