Social support, religiosity, and depression among older caregivers of HIV/AIDS children in rural Namibia

ABSTRACT

The study of older caregiving is emerging as an important area of research in HIV endemic communities. This study explored the role of social support/network and religiosity in predicting depressive symptoms among older caregivers (N = 100) from the Omusati region in rural Namibia, Africa. Hierarchical multivariate regression results showed that higher levels of social support/network and intrinsic religiosity were significantly associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms. This study suggests the need for mental health professionals in Namibia to invest in and employ evidence-based social support and religious coping interventions for older caregivers of people living with HIV/AIDS.

KEYWORDS:

• Social support/network
• religiosity
• depressive symptoms
• older caregivers
• rural Namibia
• HIV/AIDS

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).