Abstract. Against the background of numerous studies examining adaptation to the diagnosis of a mental disorder (MD) in a family member and the importance of supporting families as secondary patients, an insufficiently explored area emerges, namely, the specificity of experiences during the adaptation process among parents caring for a child with MD and adult children caring for a parent with MD. The aim of the study is to assess the severity and profile of depression using a four-factor model and to analyze the contribution of individual factors to depressive symptomatology. The study included 167 respondents: 82 parents of children with MD, 46 adult children caring for a parent with MD, and a control group of 39 individuals. Depression was assessed using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, incorporating four factors: depressive, cognitive, anxiety, and somatic. The data were processed using descriptive statistics, t-test, correlation, regression, and factor analysis with SPSS v.25. The results did not reveal significant differences among the three studied groups; however, two clear trends were identified. Mild depression was reported in approximately one-third of the respondents, whereas moderate depression was observed only among adult children caring for a parent with MD. Among the parents caring for children with MD, those with secondary education demonstrated more pronounced depressive symptomatology as compared to parents with higher education. These findings outline two directions for future research: the adaptation process to the diagnosis and its targeted support, and a more detailed differentiation of caregiver profiles in order to develop effective models of psychosocial support.

Key words: depression, child with a mental disorder, parent with a mental disorder, emotional cost of caregiving

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