Peer-reviewed article
Interventions to support young carers/supporters of people living with dementia: a mixed methods systematic review.
Kirstie Goodchild, Ellice Parkinson, Jane L Cross ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This systematic review synthesises 17 studies evaluating 15 interventions designed to help children understand and support people living with dementia. The review identified 18 data categories and six integrated findings about what makes such interventions effective. The work aims to inform development of better support for children with dementia care responsibilities. The review covers studies published between 2013 and 2024 across multiple research designs.
Key points
- Seventeen studies evaluating 15 different interventions were included in the systematic review
- A total of 1,345 participants were involved across the included studies
- Data were synthesised into 18 categories forming six integrated findings
- The review examined child-focused and dementia-care relevant interventions
- Findings can inform future development of interventions for children with dementia care responsibilities
Limitations
This is a systematic review of existing literature rather than a primary research study, so it cannot provide direct evidence of intervention outcomes or effectiveness. The document does not specify what the six integrated findings are, limiting understanding of specific recommendations.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Despite children being young carers for people living with dementia globally, and evidence suggesting they need more support, there is limited research evaluating best practice for dementia-care related interventions for children. The purpose of this work was therefore to comprehensively summarise the existing literature by synthesising studies appraising existing child-focused and dementia-care relevant interventions. METHOD: A mixed methods systematic review with a convergent integrated synthesis approach. Four databases were systematically searched from 1st January 2013 to 9th February 2024. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies evaluating any intervention programme that aimed to improve children's understanding and/or support for people living with dementia were included. RESULTS: Seventeen studies, evaluating 15 different interventions (1,345 participants), were eligible for inclusion. Extracted data were inductively synthesised into 18 categories, forming six integrated findings relating to what makes interventions useful for helping children to understand and/or support people living with dementia. CONCLUSIONS: The findings can inform the development of interventions for children with dementia care responsibilities, and further robust research.