Mindfulness-based interventions for caregivers and family members of individuals in palliative care
Juliano Teixeira Moraes, Michele Mileib de Vasconcelos, Tauãna Terra Cordeiro de Oliveira, Talles Fernandes de Souza
Medicina (Ribeirão Preto) December 31, 2025 DOI: 10.11606/issn.2176-7262.rmrp.2025.225207 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Integrative review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Caregivers and family members of people receiving palliative care |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based interventions |
| Topics | Meditation End-of-life distress |
| Keywords | Psychological intervention Palliative care Inclusion mineral Medline Nursing Family medicine Family caregivers Quality philosophy Intervention counseling |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based interventions improved the quality of life of caregivers and family members of people receiving palliative care, though the evidence base is limited. |
Abstract
Introduction: Mindfulness-based interventions have significant contributions to individuals affected by illness or facing challenging situations such as caring for a loved one with a life-threatening illness.
Objective: To identify and synthesize scientific evidence on the contributions of mindfulness-based practices in improving the quality of life of caregivers and family members of people receiving palliative care.
Methods: An integrative review was conducted by searching the MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, LILACS, PsycINFO, PEP (Psychoanalytic Electronic Publishing), BVS-Psi/PePSIC (Electronic Journals in Psychology), and Embase databases. The search terms and Boolean operators used were Caregiver OR “Family Caregivers” AND Mindfulness AND “Palliative Care”.
Results: The database search yielded 147 studies, of which 13 articles were included in the final sample after analysis under the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Despite the scarce literature on the subject, it is clear that the interventions carried out with the practice of mindfulness with caregivers proved to be satisfactory and effective.
Conclusion: New research on the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions for caregivers is needed to more fully explore the effects of both guided and unguided formats of practice in different delivery formats (i.e., face-to-face or computerized) in addition to associations with specific practices.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on end-of-life distress, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in the Context of Serious Illness. Palliative care clinicians and patients | 2022 | Review | |
| The Potential of Psychedelics for End of Life and Palliative Care. Patients with life-threatening diagnoses | 2022 | Review | |
| Psilocybin in Palliative Care: An Update. Palliative care patients | 2023 | Review | |
| Psychedelic medicines for end-of-life care: Pipeline clinical trial review 2022. People with terminal illnesses experiencing depression, anxiety, or existential distress | 2023 | Scoping review | n = 25 |
| Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for existential distress: practical considerations for therapeutic application—a review | 2024 | Narrative review |