Prevención de la depresión en cuidadoras no profesionales: relación entre habilidades de solución de problemas y síntomas depresivos

The goal of the present study was to assess depressive symptoms, problem-solving skills, and their role in therapeutic change in an indicated prevention of depression intervention aimed at non-professional female caregivers. We performed a randomized controlled trial in which participants were randomized to a problem-solving intervention (n = 89) or a usual care control group (n = 84). There was a significant pre- to post-treatment improvement in problem-solving skills in the intervention group, t(88) = -10.44, p < .001. We also observed significant associations between depressive symptomatology and positive (r = -.22, p = .043) and negative (r = .21, p = .045) problem orientation, as well as the generation of alternative solutions (r = -.22, p = .040). The changes in global and functional problem-solving skills were moderators of the post-treatment decrease in depressive symptomatology.