Psychosocial intervention for carers of people with dementia: What components are most effective and when? A systematic review of systematic reviews.
Psychosocial interventions for carers of people with dementia are increasingly recognized as playing an important role in dementia care. We aim to systematically review the evidence from existing systematic reviews of psychosocial interventions for informal carers of people with dementia.



Thirty-one systematic reviews were identified; following quality appraisal, data from 13 reviews, rated as high or moderate quality, were extracted.



Well-designed, clearly structured multi-component interventions can help maintain the psychological health of carers of people with dementia and delay institutionalization of the latter. To be most effective, such interventions should include both an educational and a therapeutic component; delivery through a support group format may further enhance their effectiveness.



Successful translation of evidence into practice in this area remains a challenge. Future research should focus on determining the most cost-effective means of delivering effective multi-component interventions in real-world settings; the cost-effective potential of technology-based interventions is considerable.
Institute of Health and Society,Newcastle University,Newcastle Biomedical Research Building,Campus for Ageing and Vitality,Newcastle upon Tyne,NE4 5PL,UK.
Claire
C
Dickinson
Institute of Health and Society,Newcastle University,Newcastle Biomedical Research Building,Campus for Ageing and Vitality,Newcastle upon Tyne,NE4 5PL,UK.
Johanne
J
Dow
Colin Bell Building,University of Stirling,Stirling,FK9 4LA,UK.
Grant
G
Gibson
Institute of Health and Society,Newcastle University,Baddiley-Clark Building,Newcastle upon Tyne,NE2 4AX,UK.
Louise
L
Hayes
Institute of Health and Society,Newcastle University,Baddiley-Clark Building,Newcastle upon Tyne,NE2 4AX,UK.
Shannon
S
Robalino
Institute of Health and Society,Newcastle University,Newcastle Biomedical Research Building,Campus for Ageing and Vitality,Newcastle upon Tyne,NE4 5PL,UK.
Louise
L
Robinson
D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization / Q000592:standards*; D008603:Mental Health; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*
carers; dementia; mental health; psychosocial interventions