A systematic review and meta-analysis on effective interventions for health-related quality of life among caregivers of people with dementia

Aims: (a) To evaluate the effectiveness of different types of psychosocial interventions on the health-related quality of life among caregivers of individuals with dementia and (b) To present an overview and assessment of the quality of the most recent intervention studies. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Data Sources: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library electronic databases were searched to find randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from 2005 - 2017. Using a Boolean search, the key words ‘caregivers’, ‘dementia’ and ‘quality of life’ were combined. The search was completed in January 2018. Review Methods: A total of 26 RCTs were included. Intervention details such as content, mode of delivery and duration were reviewed, and each study's risk of bias was assessed. The effectiveness of each type of intervention was calculated using the Hedges G and a random-effects model. Results: Multicomponent interventions, cognitive behavioural therapy and complementary alternative medicine therapy showed significant effects on improving caregiver's health-related quality of life. Psychoeducation, social support, case management and cognitive rehabilitation therapy failed to produce significant effects. Conclusion: Via this evidence-based systematic review, multicomponent interventions addressing a variety of caregiver needs can be an effective method for enhancing caregiver health-related quality of life. Further large number of studies are needed to verify this study results. Impact: The findings of this study inform clinicians which interventions are effective in improving caregivers’ health-related quality of life. Defining a standardized protocol for multicomponent interventions will be helpful for clinicians to apply the intervention.