PURPOSE: Primary stressors, such as frailty and caregiver burden, are predominant contributors to caregivers' depressive symptoms, but mechanisms underlying these relationships remain unknown. METHOD: Path analysis was used to test whether mastery and competence mediate the effect of frailty and caregiver burden on depressive symptoms, and whether social support moderates these pathways among 464 caregivers of frail older adults in China. RESULTS: Mastery mediated the relationship between physical frailty and depressive symptoms, and competence mediated the relationship between caregiver burden and depressive symptoms. Social support moderated the relationship between physical frailty and mastery, as well as between caregiver burden and competence. Social support buffered the indirect negative influence of physical frailty on depressive symptoms via mastery, and that of caregiver burden on depressive symptoms via competence. Psychological and social frailty were non-significant. CONCLUSION: Interventions targeting social support, mastery, and competence enhancement may protect caregivers' mental well-being against care-related stressors.
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Zhou et al. (2026) studied this question.
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