Cited by 96Nursing care and researchFamily Caregiving in Mental IllnessStroke Rehabilitation and Recovery

Interventions for psychological health of stroke caregivers: a systematic review

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Panzeri, Anna, Rossi Ferrario, Silvia, Vidotto, Giulio·2019·Frontiers in Psychology

Abstract

Background: The increasing number of stroke patients (SPs) requires informal caregivers to bear a high burden of responsibilities and heavy (di)stress. Moreover, these issues could lead to the development of serious psychological problems (e.g.: depressive and/or anxious) that in turn could give rise to poor health-related quality of life outcomes. However, although the value of psychological interventions has been widely recognized for SPs, the scientific literature lacks an updated synthesis of interventions addressing the psychological health of their caregivers. Aim: The aim of this review is to summarize the interventions for the psychological health of stroke caregivers and provide a resume of literature-based evidence of their efficacy. Method: A literature review from 2005 to date was conducted in three online databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Eligibility criteria for studies were (A) English language, (B) caregivers and patients aged 18 years or above, (C) SP’s caregiver beneficiating of a specific intervention, and (D) outcome measures addressing depressive and/or anxiety symptomology, quality of life, well-being, or burden. Results: Across the selected 45 studies, substantial differences are observable in three main categories: (a) type of intervention (b) techniques, and (c) operators. Interventions’ advantages and results are discussed. Overall, studies using psychological techniques, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, coping skill-training, and problem-solving therapy, showed their usefulness and efficacy in reducing the caregivers’ depressive and anxious symptoms, and burden. Interventions led by psychologists and tailored to meet caregivers’ specific needs showed more positive outcomes. Conclusion: This review underlines the usefulness of psychological interventions aimed at reducing the psychological burden, such as anxious and depressive symptomatology, of SPs’ informal caregivers. Hence, psychological interventions for caregivers should be integrated as part of the stroke rehabilitation process to improve informal caregivers’ and patients’ quality of life and well-being.

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  • Existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses on psychological interventions for older adults tend to focus on people with specific health conditions, such as dementia, stroke caregivers, or subclinical depressive symptoms.

    “While existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses provide some evidence on psychological interventions for older adults, these reviews tend to focus on people with specific health conditions, such as dementia (Cheng 2020; Sun 2022), stroke caregivers (Panzeri 2019), or subclinical depressive symptoms (Corpas 2022).”

    From Psychotherapeutic treatments for depression in older adults (2024) · cites this paper as Panzeri 2019

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  1. Dobson K. S. Dozois D. J. (2019). Handbook of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies. IV Edition. New York, NY: Guilford Publications.

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Authors
Panzeri, A., Rossi Ferrario, S., & Vidotto, G.
Affiliations
University of Padua (IT)
Corresponding author
Panzeri, Anna
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Published
2019-09-06
Volume
10
Pages
2045-2045
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2969440555
Cited by
96
References
135
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 13 · 2018: 1
FWCI
2.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Aisberg (University of Bergamo) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Padua Research Archive (University of Padova) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Università degli Studi di Padova
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Nursing care and research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family Caregiving in Mental Illness
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery
Keywords
stroke caregivers, informal caregivers, psychological intervention, caregiver burden, depression, anxiety, quality of life, cognitive behavioral therapy, coping skills training, problem-solving therapy, stroke rehabilitation, caregiver well-being

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