Application-Based Interventions for Family Caregivers of Older Adults: Scoping Review

As the global population ages, the increasing number of individuals with chronic conditions places a growing burden on family caregivers. Behavioral interventions delivered via application-based platforms, including those on mobile phones, tablets, or the web, have emerged as a powerful tool for enhancing caregiver support.

This study aims to identify and describe application-based interventions for family caregivers of older adults with chronic conditions, focusing on their designs, features, and impact on caregiver outcomes.

This review is reported according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. A search of publications from 2007 through December 20, 2022, was conducted across PsycINFO (EBSCO), MEDLINE ALL (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Web of Science Core Collection (A&HCI, BKCI-SSH, BKCI-S, CCR-EXPANDED, ESCI, IC, CPCI-SSH, CPCI-S, SCI-EXPANDED, and SSCI; Clarivate), ACM Guide to Computing Literature (ACM Digital Library), and Engineering Village (Elsevier) using relevant keywords.

The database search identified 9482 studies, resulting in 290 full-text papers being assessed, and a final 49 studies were included. Forty-four unique applications were identified, demonstrating different designs and features. These studies primarily examined the impact of applications on caregiver well-being, burden, and mental health. While the majority of interventions were perceived as beneficial, several design and research limitations were noted.

While many interventions demonstrate positive effects on caregiver outcomes, there are significant gaps in research design, evaluation, and reporting. Future studies should prioritize greater integration of self-care practices, clarity of intervention components, rigorous adherence to behavioral intervention frameworks, and greater inclusivity in participant samples.