Mapping intersectionality in dementia care research: a decadal scoping review

In the past decade, an increasing number of studies have addressed health care disparities and the complex determinants of care for diverse populations. At the same time, it remains unclear how social categories (e.g. gender, ethnicity, migration status, socioeconomic position) intersect with health care disparities for people living with dementia and may lead to experiences of inequity and inequality.

This scoping review analyzes the use of intersectionality frameworks and intersection analyses in dementia care research over the past decade (2015-2025).

We followed Arksey and O'Malley's six-stage scoping review methodology, extended with PRISMA guidelines and used the McCall framework to critically synthesize the included articles.

We identified 14 articles that met our criteria for applying an intersectionality framework to analyze data. The most mentioned intersectionality frameworks in publications are from Crenshaw (n = 8), McCall (n = 7) as well as Hankivsky (n = 3) and Collins (n = 3). The target groups varied; mostly, the focus was on migrants, ethnicity, or sex/gender.

Our results indicate a shift in dementia care research toward recognizing lived experiences shaped by multiple axes of identity and contexts. At the same time the primary analytical focus lies in the intersection of two axes of identity (such as sex/gender and ethnicity/migration). A detailed analysis of power dynamics within the healthcare system or the society, and how they may contribute to the experiences of the target group, was mostly not conducted or only mentioned that there is a need to do so.