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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]

Being a family carer is associated with increased risk of experiencing depressive symptoms. Despite many decades of research investigating the association between coping strategies and depressive symptoms in carers results across studies remain contradictory. The objective of this study was to systematically review evidence on the association between depressive symptoms and coping strategies in carers of dependent people aged 18 and over and investigate potential sources of heterogeneity of findings. The study design was a systematic review and meta‐analysis. We searched Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and LILACS up to April 2021. We performed meta‐analyses following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses statement and several subgroup analyses to investigate whether cause of caring dependency, study design, and controlling for several biases influenced results. Fifty‐nine studies met our inclusion criteria. We found a robust and statistically significant association between greater use of dysfunctional coping and higher depressive symptoms. Greater use of emotion‐focussed coping was associated with fewer depressive symptoms only in studies controlling for confounding bias. Use of problem‐focussed coping was related to fewer depressive symptoms in carers of frail older people. The combined use of both problem‐focussed and emotion‐focussed coping was associated with lower symptoms of depression. Our review concludes that the broad domain of dysfunctional coping is consistently associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms in carers. After controlling for confounders, emotion‐focussed coping and several of its individual strategies were consistently associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Whilst problem‐focussed coping and some of its individual strategies are also associated with lower depressive symptoms, these strategies may not be as helpful in all caregiving groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sense of coherence (SOC) is an important protective factor for carer well‐being but research to date remains cross‐sectional, focusing primarily on the direct effects of SOC on carers' mental health. The study's aim was to investigate the mediating role of SOC in the longitudinal relationship between caregiver strain and carers' psychological health, and its stability over time. Methods: Prospective longitudinal study conducted in Jaén (Spain) with a probabilistic sample of 132 carers of older people, with data collected at baseline and at 1‐year follow‐up. We measured SOC, caregiver strain, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and several care‐recipient characteristics and intensity of care provided. We used multiple linear regression modelling and the Sobel test to analyse mediation effects. Results: SOC was significantly negatively longitudinally associated with both anxiety (β = −0.38, p = 0.001) and depressive symptoms (β = −0.28, p = 0.023), after controlling for several confounders. SOC mediated both the relationship between caregiver strain and anxiety, and caregiver strain and depressive symptoms (Sobel test: p < 0.001 for anxiety and p < 0.001 for depressive symptoms). Differences between baseline and 1‐year follow‐up SOC scores were not statistically significant (p = 0.617). Conclusions: SOC appears to buffer the impact of caregiver strain on symptoms of depression and anxiety in informal carers of older people. Our data showed that SOC is an important psychological resource for carers that remained relatively stable under non‐experimental conditions over a period of 1 year in this sample. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at strengthening SOC may protect carer psychological well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.

The purpose of this study was to analyze association between sense of coherence and perceived burden, anxiety, depression, and quality of life in caregivers of older adults. A cross-sectional study was carried out with a probabilistic sample of 132 caregivers of older relatives from the regions of Jaén, Spain. The measures assessed were sense of coherence (Life Orientation Questionnaire), subjective burden (Caregiver Strain Index of Robinson), anxiety and depression (Goldberg Scale), and quality of life (Health Questionnaire SF-12). The main analyses included bivariate analysis using Pearson's correlation coefficient and multivariate analysis through canonical correlation analysis. Our findings show that the sense of coherence explained 50.8% of the variance shared between subjective burden, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. We highlighted manageability as the variable within the dimensions of the sense of coherence with the greatest participation in the model. The sense of coherence may be an important protective factor for the mental health of the caregiver of dependent elderly relatives., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.