Resilience in family caregivers of Asian older people with dementia: An integrative review.

Abstract

To identify factors associated with resilience in family caregivers of Asian older people with dementia based on Luthar and Cicchetti's definition of resilience. Integrative review of resilience in family caregivers of Asian older people with dementia reported by studies with quantitative and qualitative research designs. Databases used for the literature search included CINAHL, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Google Scholar. A total of 565 potentially relevant studies published between January 1985 and March 2024 were screened, and 27 articles met the inclusion criteria. Family caregivers were most commonly adult children of care recipients, female and providing care in their home. Two themes emerged from the review: factors associated with adversity (dementia severity, caregiver role strain, stigma, family stress, female gender, low income and low education) and factors associated with positive adaptational outcomes (positive aspect of caregiving, social support and religiosity/spirituality). In our review of Asian research, four new factors-caregiver role strain, stigma, family stress and positive aspects of caregiving-emerged alongside those previously identified in Western studies. A paradigm shift was observed from a focus on factors associated with adversity to factors associated with positive adaptational outcomes, particularly after the issuance of the WHO's 2017 global action plan for dementia. However, a gap remains between WHO policy recommendations and actual research, with studies often neglecting to address gender and socioeconomic factors. The review findings will broaden healthcare providers' understanding of resilience in dementia caregivers and use them to develop comprehensive programmes aimed at reducing factors associated with adversity and enhancing those associated with positive adaptational outcomes. This approach can be customized to incorporate Asian cultural values, empowering caregivers to navigate challenges more effectively. This paper is an integrative review and does not include patient or public contributions.