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Background: The care of dependent people is eminently family-oriented, and often, there is a high level of dedication to this family care. Constant and continuous care leads to a series of negative psychological consequences. Social support has been related to improved mental health in family caregivers. We found heterogeneous results regarding the relationship between the types of social support received and the perceived level of support. In addition, to our knowledge, no reviews analyse this relationship among family caregivers. Objectives: Therefore, we objective to systematically synthesise the relationships between perceived and received social support in informal caregivers. Methodology: We have carried out a quantitative systematic review with a meta-analysis, registered in PROSPERO (id: CRD42023470047); the systematic search was carried out in the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus, until November 2023. After the selection and review of the results, twelve studies were obtained, two of which were eliminated due to a high risk of classification bias. Results: Regarding the results, a medium-size positive statistical association was found (r = 0.43). The results were consistent, accurate, and robust. The Trim and Fill test showed a variation of 7%. Subgroup analysis indicated no differences in the age group of the people cared for (adults or children), selection bias, and confounding bias. Conclusions: In conclusions, perceived social support is related to more social support received by family caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjective caregiver burden is highly prevalent in family caregivers. Despite several studies investigating the relationship between subjective caregiver burden and coping strategies, results remain inconsistent. The aim of our study was to systematically review current literature on the relationship between subjective caregiver burden and coping in family carers of dependent adults and older people. A secondary objective was to analyse possible sources of heterogeneity in the estimated effect. The study design was a systematic review with meta‐analysis following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses statement (PRISMA) guidelines. We searched several international databases (CINAHL, LILACS, PsycINFO and PubMed) up to February 2024. We performed several subgroup analyses to examine whether study design, methodological quality or care recipient dependency influenced results. Of the 1064 records identified in our search, a total of 80 studies met inclusion criteria. We found a significant association between greater use of dysfunctional coping and higher levels of subjective caregiver burden (r‾ $\overline{r}$ = 0.400; 95% CI = 0.315, 0.478); higher use of second‐order active coping was significantly associated with lower caregiver burden (r‾ $\overline{r}$ = −0.213; 95% CI = −0.316, −0.105). Problem‐focused coping showed no statistically significant association with levels of subjective burden; emotion‐focused coping was associated with caregiver burden only after controlling for confounding variables (r‾ $\overline{r}$ = −0.258; 95% CI = −0.441, −0.055); several individual strategies of this dimension such as acceptance (r‾ $\overline{r}$ = −0.135; 95% CI = −0.238, −0.028), positive reappraisal (r‾ $\overline{r}$ = −0.178; 95% CI = −0.255, −0.099) and religious coping (r‾ $\overline{r}$ = −0.083; 95% CI = −0.162, −0.002), were associated with lower burden. We found that several dimensions of coping strategies are significantly associated with levels of subjective caregiver burden experienced by carers. These results can inform future research evaluating the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving carers' mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Coping responses influence anxiety symptoms experienced by informal carers. However, only a few studies have investigated the longitudinal association between coping responses and anxiety symptoms in family carers. We also currently have limited knowledge on the mediating or moderating influence of subjective caregiver burden on this relationship over time. The aim of the present study was to investigate the longitudinal relationship between coping and anxiety symptoms in family carers of dependent older people, and examine the mediating or moderating role of subjective caregiver burden over time. Design: Prospective longitudinal study. Methods: We recruited and enrolled participants from a probability sample of 132 family carers of older dependent relatives. We measured coping strategies, anxiety symptoms, subjective caregiver burden, and several covariates (sex and intensity of care) at baseline and at 1‐year follow‐up. We used generalized estimating equations with multiple imputations to examine associations over time. Results: Considering both direct and indirect effects through subjective burden, anxiety symptoms were positively associated with proactive coping (B = 0.13), planning (B = 0.15), self‐distraction (B = 0.24), denial (B = 1.15), venting (B = 0.94) and self‐blame (B = 0.90), and negatively associated with positive reframing (B = −0.83) and acceptance (B = −0.75). Subjective caregiver burden moderated the relationship between anxiety symptoms and planning, and the use of denial as a form of coping. Conclusions: Our results show that subjective caregiver burden is an important moderator and mediator of the longitudinal association between coping responses and anxiety symptoms in carers. Clinical Relevance: Proactive coping and planning when subjective burden is low, self‐distraction, denial, venting, and self‐blame significantly increase levels of anxiety and caregiver burden in carers over time. Acceptance and positive reframing however as coping responses are associated with lower levels of anxiety and caregiver burden long‐term. Our findings highlight the need for a multi‐dimensional approach in future caregiving interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anxiety symptoms are prevalent in family carers of dependent people. Despite accumulating evidence in the area, there are still inconsistent findings on the association between carer anxiety symptoms and coping strategies. The aim of our study was to systematically analyse the relationship between anxiety symptoms and coping strategies in carers of dependent adults aged 18 years and older, and examine possible sources of heterogeneity in the results. The study design was a systematic review and meta‐analysis. We searched several international databases (Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and LILACS) from June 2022 up to February 2023. We followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses statement and performed several subgroup analyses to examine whether study design, cause of dependency and whether or not controlling for various biases influenced results. Forty‐one studies were included in the review. We found significant associations between greater use of dysfunctional coping and higher anxiety symptoms. Greater use of problem‐focused coping was associated with lower anxiety symptoms in carers of frail older people, but higher anxiety in carers of people surviving cancer. Emotion‐focused coping and some of its individual strategies, such as acceptance and positive reappraisal, in probabilistic samples, were associated with lower anxiety symptoms across all groups. Most of the studies included in this review were cross‐sectional. Evidence overall indicates that only specific dimensions and strategies of coping are significantly associated with anxiety symptoms in family carers. These findings should be considered when developing future interventions supporting carers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]