Mapping caregivers' distress: a network analysis of burden, meaning in life, and mental health in families facing suicidal behavior

Background Suicide profoundly impacts not only individuals but also their relatives, who often experience high levels of burden, distress, and isolation. Yet the interplay between risk and protective factors in this population remains understudied. This study explored the network structure of caregivers' emotional states, focusing on meaning in life, perceived burden, family empowerment, emotion dysregulation, anxiety, stress, depressive symptoms, and quality of life. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 185 Spanish relatives (139 women, 75.1%, and 46 men, 24.9%) age-ranged between 18 and 73 years old (M = 50.26, SD = 10.23) of individuals with suicide attempts or suicidal behavior disorder in the past two years. Networks were estimated with EBICglasso after redundant node analysis. Results The network included 11 nodes and 30 edges. Depressive symptoms emerged as the most central node, followed by stress and anxiety, indicating that emotional distress is a central component of caregivers' functioning. Emotion dysregulation bridged distress with subjective burden. In contrast, meaning in life (especially its experiential dimension of Meaning) and quality of life appeared as protective but peripheral. Family empowerment also occupied a peripheral role, while objective and subjective burden were closely interconnected but less structurally influential. Conclusion Findings highlight the central position of depressive symptoms within caregivers' emotional networks, suggesting that future research should further explore how distress and protective resources such as meaning in life and quality of life interact in shaping caregivers' well-being.