Objectives: To determine the degree to which caregiver social problem-solving abilities would predict caregiver depression, health complaints, and well-being above and beyond burden and care recipient impairment. Hypothesis: A negative problem-solving style would be significantly predictive of caregiver depression, health complaints, and well-being after controlling for caregiver burden and care recipient impairment, and caregiver positive problem-solving style. Participants: Fifty-two family caregivers (M age = 51) of persons with TBI (38 men and 14 women; M age = 36.94); caregivers included 49 women and 3 men. Forty-five caregivers were Caucasian; 32 caregivers were mothers of the care recipient. Methods: Caregivers were assessed upon consenting to participate in a problem-solving intervention study. Measures included the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised, the Pennebaker Inventory of Limbic Languidness (PILL), the CES-D, the Satisfaction with Life scale, and the Caregiver Burden Scale. A brief measure of the FIM was administered to assess care recipient impairment. Results: Separate hierarchical regression equations entering elements of a negative problem solving style at the final step found a negative style accounted for significant variance in depression (R²_inc = 0.26) and health complaints (R²_inc = 0.26). Caregiver burden accounted for significant variance in well-being (R² = 0.15). FIM scores did not contribute to the prediction of any outcome variable. Conclusions: A negative problem-solving style may be a significant factor in depression and health complaints reported by family caregivers of persons with TBI; caregiver burden may exert more influence on their well-being. Cognitive-behavioral interventions should recognize the differential influence of caregiver problem-solving abilities.

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