Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience and Public Health
• Gerontology and Caregiving Studies

Background:

• Dementia affects millions globally, increasing the need for informal caregiving.
• Informal caregivers, often family members, face significant emotional, physical, and social burdens.
• This study examines caregiver burden's impact on health and well-being, considering various influences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of caregiver burden on the health and well-being of informal dementia caregivers.
• To synthesize findings on mental health, physical health, quality of life, and influencing factors.

Main Methods:

• An integrative literature review of 29 studies published between 2014-2024 from the PubMed database.
• Systematic search focusing on informal caregivers of people with dementia.
• Analysis of mental/physical health, quality of life, caregiver characteristics, sociocultural context, grief, and positive aspects.

Main Results:

• Caregiver burden significantly impacts mental health (depression, anxiety, stress, burnout) and physical health (fatigue, sleep issues, pain, functional decline).
• Quality of life is negatively affected across social, financial, and well-being dimensions.
• Sociocultural factors and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated burden, though some caregivers reported personal growth.

Conclusions:

• Informal dementia caregiving imposes substantial burdens affecting caregiver health and quality of life.
• Urgent need for interventions: mental health support, respite care, financial/social policy.
• Future research should focus on long-term outcomes and resilience-enhancing strategies.