Functional Forms of Social Capital and Depressive Symptoms Among Asian American Dementia Caregivers

Background: Family caregivers of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) often experience substantial psychological distress, including depressive symptoms. Although social capital has been recognized as an important protective resource, caregiving research often treats it as a uniform construct. Less is known about how distinct functional forms of social capital relate to caregiver mental health, particularly among Asian American caregivers with immigrant backgrounds who may face linguistic, cultural, and structural barriers to formal services. This study addresses that gap by examining multiple forms of social capital and their associations with depressive symptoms among older Asian American dementia caregivers.

Methods: Survey data were collected from 85 Asian American caregivers aged 50 and older residing in the United States and recruited through community-based organizations, ethnic community networks, and the CARE Registry. The questionnaire was offered in English, Korean, traditional Mandarin, and simplified Mandarin. Depressive symptoms were measured using the CES-D 8. Four forms of social capital were examined separately: emotional support, errand-related instrumental support, care-related instrumental support, and financial support. Ordinary least squares regression models were estimated for each domain while controlling for age, gender, education, low-income status, and citizenship status. Interaction terms were included to assess whether these associations varied by caregiver age and gender.

Results: The sample had a mean age of 73 years, 61% were female, 75% reported annual household income below $25,000, and 79% were U.S. citizens. More than half of participants were retired, and spouses constituted the largest caregiver group. Emotional social capital and financial social capital were significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms, whereas errand-related and care-related instrumental support were not significantly associated with depressive symptoms in multivariate models. Interaction analyses identified two significant moderating patterns: age moderated the association between care-related support and depressive symptoms, and gender moderated the association between financial support and depressive symptoms. Specifically, financial social capital was more strongly associated with lower depressive symptoms among women, while greater care-related support was associated with higher depressive symptoms among older caregivers.

Implications for Social Work: This study contributes to gerontological social work and caregiving research by showing that social capital is not a uniform resource for dementia caregivers. The findings also indicate that the benefits of social capital may vary by caregiver age and gender, highlighting the importance of attending to heterogeneity within caregiver populations rather than assuming that the same support is equally protective for all caregivers. In this study, rigorous inquiry into distinct forms of social capital helps clarify which types of support may matter most for caregiver mental health and for whom. By focusing on Asian American caregivers with immigrant backgrounds, this study further addresses an important gap in caregiving research on populations that are often underrepresented in quantitative studies. From a practice perspective, interventions for dementia caregivers may benefit from strengthening emotional and financial support networks, while also recognizing that instrumental support may not always reduce distress in the same way.