A meta-analysis of mindfulness-based interventions for improving mental health and burden among caregivers of persons living with dementia.
Ita Daryanti Saragih, Sakti Oktaria Batubara, Sapna Sharma, Ice Septriani Saragih, Fan-Hao Chou
Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing April 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1111/wvn.12690 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Caregivers of persons living with dementia |
| Intervention | mindfulness-based interventions |
| Duration | Interventions provided for ≥8 weeks were beneficial in reducing depression |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Caregivers Dementia Meta‐analysis Mindfulness‐based interventions |
| Citations | 15 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based interventions significantly reduce stress and anxiety in caregivers of persons with dementia, but do not significantly reduce depression or caregiver burden immediately after the intervention. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions are becoming increasingly popular and are effective in lowering depressive symptoms and caregiver burden. However, the overall efficacy of therapies in stress and anxiety management is unreported, and no study to date has performed a subgroup analysis to investigate the intervention dose response of outcomes. To quantitatively identify the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for caregivers of persons living with dementia. A comprehensive literature search of six databases was undertaken from the date of inception to June 18, 2023. The DerSimonian-Laird model with random effects was used to examine the overall effect and its heterogeneity in the studies. Version 2 of the risk of bias (RoB 2) tool was employed to analyze the publication bias of each randomized study. Funnel and forest plots were created to represent the findings. Thirteen randomized trials were included in the meta-analysis. Mindfulness-based interventions significantly reduced stress and anxiety of caregivers of persons living with dementia. In addition, interventions provided for ≥8 weeks were beneficial in reducing depression in caregivers. However, mindfulness-based interventions did not offer significant benefits in reducing depression or caregiver burden immediately after the intervention. Mindfulness-based interventions have the potential to help caregivers of people living with dementia. This study could be used as a model for future research into and implementation of mindfulness-based therapies for caregivers. Mindfulness-based therapies appear to alleviate stress and anxiety but are ineffective in reducing depression and burden in caregivers of persons living with dementia. Well-designed RCTs with more rigorous methodology and a larger sample size should be conducted to firm the conclusion of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for caregivers of persons living with dementia.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- The effect of mindfulness-based intervention on depression in family caregivers of dementia patients: a meta-analysis and GRADE evaluation Frontiers in Psychology May 12, 2026
- The effect of mindfulness-based interventions on caregiver burden, quality of life and psychological distress in caregivers of adults with chronic diseases: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing October 1, 2024
- Art-Based Mindfulness (MindArt) Versus Social Engagement for Stress Reduction in People Living with Dementia and Care Partners: A Single-Blinded Randomised Crossover Trial Journal of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease August 10, 2026
Cites 21
- Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review British Medical Bulletin April 21, 2021
- Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness- and Acceptance-Based Interventions for Informal Caregivers of People With Dementia: A Meta-Analysis The Gerontologist March 2, 2018
- A Yoga and Compassion Meditation Program Reduces Stress in Familial Caregivers of Alzheimer's Disease Patients Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2013
- Mindfulness training for psychological stress in family caregivers of persons with dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Clinical Interventions in Aging September 1, 2017
and 16 more in the library