AI Article Synopsis
- The study aims to review interventions for informal caregivers of frail older adults, as previous research conflated frailty with other severe age-related conditions.
- The systematic review included four studies, comprising three randomized controlled trials and one non-randomized controlled trial, and found that while interventions showed moderate effectiveness in reducing caregiver depression, they had limited effects on caregiver burden and quality of life.
- The review highlights a gap in focused research on caregivers of frail older adults, suggesting potential benefits for mental health but calls attention to high bias risks in the studies analyzed.
Article Abstract
Aim: Systematic reviews on interventions for informal caregivers of community-dwelling frail older adults were published over a decade ago and they mistook frailty for other severe age-related conditions like disability and dementia. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically synthesize these interventions supporting these caregivers identified by an acknowledged frailty assessment instrument and to examine their effectiveness on caregiver-related outcomes.
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data Sources: Fourteen electronic databases, grey literature and reference lists were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized controlled trials (NRCTs) from inception to November 3, 2023.
Methods: Methodology quality and risk of bias were assessed. Data were meta-analysed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis, version 3.0. Studies and outcomes unsuitable for meta-analysis were summarized by narrative syntheses.
Results: Four studies consisting of three RCTs and one NRCT were included involving 350 participants. Interventions for caregivers of frail older adults included multicomponent interventions (n = 3) and education intervention (n = 1). Interventions had a moderate effect on reducing depression and showed nonsignificant effects on caregiver burden, caregiving time or quality of life (QoL). The PEDro scores for RCTs ranged from 6 to 8, indicating good methodologic quality, but were all judged as high risk of bias. The NRCT reported all methodologic aspects and was at low risk of bias.
Conclusions: Few studies focus on interventions targeting caregivers of frail older adults, and their effectiveness may vary by outcomes. This review suggested the potential benefits of these interventions in reducing caregivers' depression.
Impact: The differential effectiveness by outcomes and high risk of bias of studies implicate that more rigorous studies are warranted.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jan.16314 | DOI Listing |
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