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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Do changes in coping style explain the effectiveness of interventions for psychological morbidity in family carers of people with dementia?
— a systematic review and meta-analysis | | Author(s) | Ryan Li, Claudia Cooper, Allana Austin, Gill Livingston |
| Journal title | International Psychogeriatrics, vol 25, no 2, February 2013 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, February 2013 |
| Pages | pp 204-214 |
| Source | journals.cambridge.org/ipg |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Family care ; Anxiety ; Depression ; Psychiatric treatment ; Therapy ; Adjustment ; Evaluation. |
| Annotation | Observational studies find that family carers of people with dementia who use more emotional support and acceptance-based coping, and less dysfunctional coping, are less depressed and anxious. In this study it was hypothesised that interventions effective in reducing psychological symptoms would increase emotional support and acceptance-based coping, or decrease dysfunctional coping. A systematic review was carried out of randomised controlled trials published up to July 2011 of interventions for carers of people with dementia measuring coping and psychological morbidity in which study validity and reported findings were reported. Fixed-effect meta-analyses for interventions were also carried out where possible. Eight of 433 papers identified by the search met inclusion criteria. All measured coping immediately after intervention. Two interventions significantly decreased depressive or anxiety symptoms: the smaller study found no change in dysfunctional coping. Neither measured emotional support and acceptance-based coping. Meta-analysis found that both group coping skills interventions alone and with behavioural activation significantly increased dysfunctional coping, while significantly reducing depressive symptoms. Positive coping (a mix of emotional and solution-focused strategies) increased with group coping skills interventions and behavioural activation. Contrary to the study hypothesis, dysfunctional coping increased when carer depressive symptoms improved. There was preliminary evidence that emotional support and acceptance-based coping increased, as positive coping increased although solution-focused coping alone did not. More research is needed to elucidate whether successful interventions work through changing coping strategies immediately and in the longer term. (JL). |
| Accession Number | CPA-130118207 A |
| Classmark | EA: P6:SJ: ENP: ENR: LP: LO: DR: 4C |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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