Comparative study of depression and resilience among male and female caregivers of cancer patients

Abstract

Resilience may be defined as the ability to bounce back from tough situations and Depression may be defined as a mood disorder characterized by sadness and feelings of dejection and hopelessness. Caregiver is an individual who provides direct care to a person who is ill. The aim of this research is to compare the level of resilience and depression among male and female caregivers of cancer patients. The sample size for this research is 100 adults, 50 female and 50 male caregivers of cancer patients. The scales used were Beck’s Depression Inventory formulated by Aaron Beck in 1961 and Brief Resilience Scale formulated by Smith et al in 2008. The results suggested that there was no significant difference of depression among male and female caregivers of cancer patients, there was a significant difference of resilience among male and female caregivers of cancer patients, and there was a negative relationship between depression and resilience among male and female caregivers of cancer patients.