Interventions to build resilience in family caregivers of people living with dementia : a comprehensive systematic review

Background: Recent studies have indicated that family caregivers of people with dementia have higher rates of depression, anxiety and hopelessness, as well as higher levels of burden, stress and distress. Not all caregivers, however, succumb to the negative effects of caring. Caregivers who are able to recover from, resist or adapt to the physical and psychological demands of caring can be considered “resilient”. Objectives: The objective of this review was to examine the existing evidence regarding interventions for building resilience in family caregivers of people living with dementia. Inclusion criteria Types of participants: This review considered studies that included family caregivers of people with dementia. Results: The review included three publications reporting one quantitative intervention study and one mixed-method intervention study. There was a lack of available studies and, of the two intervention studies that were identified, neither found any statistically significant change in quantitative measures of resilience. Qualitative data suggested positive impacts of a poetry writing intervention and a positive experience of the intervention.